This announcement is sent on behalf of Provost Mun Choi and Vice Provost Sally Reis:
We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Kent Holsinger has been appointed as the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School, following an internal search. Kent is an outstanding teacher and scholar, and he has strongly lead the Graduate School while serving as interim dean, and he will continue to guide the School and University in pursuit of excellence in graduate education and research.
Kent, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Adjunct Professor of Statistics, is well known for his work in population genetics, plant evolutionary biology, and conservation biology. His most influential work involves the development and analysis of mathematical models that describe the evolution of plant mating systems and of statistical models used to analyze genetic variation within populations. His most recent work on mechanisms responsible for the extraordinary diversity of plants in southwestern South Africa has uncovered a complex interplay between adaptation to environmental gradients and the accumulation of random differences among geographically isolated population. He has regularly taught an undergraduate course in evolutionary biology, and he continues to teach graduate courses in population genetics and conservation biology. For many years he taught the introductory biology course for biology majors, and, for nearly fifteen years, he co-taught a course in philosophy of science. Kent was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2003 and of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2010. In 2006, he received the Centennial Award from the Botanical Society of America and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Idaho in 2008. In 2012, he was named a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor. As interim dean, Kent has made significant accomplishments in graduate student and post-doctoral scholar services, diversity, and the administrative structure of the Graduate School.
We would like to express our deep appreciation to Dean Gregory Weidemann, Ms. Cynthia Bastek and the entire search committee for their thoughtful work throughout the search process.
Please join us in congratulating Kent and the Graduate School!
For more information, contact: Office of the Provost at provost@uconn.edu