Professor David Robbins to Succeed Steve Peterson
as Associate Academic Dean
The Dean of
Faculty’s office has announced that Seabury Professor of Mathematics
and Natural Philosophy David Robbins has accepted an appointment to
succeed Stephen L. Peterson as associate academic dean. Peterson
will retire June 30, 2006; Robbins will work informally with
Peterson throughout the spring semester before officially assuming
his new responsibilities on July 1.
Peterson joined
Trinity as librarian and College professor in 1991, following a
lengthy stint as divinity librarian and associate dean at Yale
Divinity School. He became associate academic dean in 1999,
replacing Jack Waggett. “Trinity has been blessed to have someone of
Steve Peterson’s capabilities initially at the helm of the library
and, more recently, as the associate academic dean in the Dean of
Faculty’s office,” notes Interim Dean of Faculty Frank Kirkpatrick.
“Steve brought together both a strong financial sense and a
personal, even pastoral, touch in his dealings with the faculty. He
always kept institutional needs in mind as he made minute decisions
about what we could and could not fund. But as an academic himself
he understood that our budgets and decision-making must be
appropriate to the unique educational enterprise that we are.”
Robbins came to Trinity as an assistant professor of mathematics in
1972. He has served the College in various capacities, including as
chair of the Appointments and Promotions Committee, chair of the
Educational Policy Committee, and as a member of the Curriculum
Committee. He has been chair of the math department and served from
1988-90 as special assistant to the president for institutional
planning. He was appointed to the Seabury Professorship in 1995.
“Dave Robbins will, I am convinced, ably fill Steve’s place in the
office,” says Kirkpatrick. “He has a strong reputation as both a
teacher and scholar who has a well-developed sense for precise
accounting and administrative needs. I know that the next dean will
find him an extremely valuable ally, as he/she will the other
associate academic deans, Kat Power and Ron Spencer.”
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