UW News

November 7, 2002

Interim president, provost named

The Board of Regents, in a special meeting Nov. 5, appointed Provost Lee Huntsman as interim president and David Thorud, dean emeritus and professor of forest resources, as acting provost.  The appointments are for the duration of the presidential search.





Huntsman has served as UW provost and vice president for academic affairs since March 1997. He joined the UW faculty in 1968 and holds the faculty appointment of professor of bioengineering.





He served as director of the Center for Bioengineering (now Department of Bioengineering) from 1980 to 1996. He also served as associate dean for scientific affairs in the School of Medicine from 1993 to 1996, when he became acting provost.





He received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1963 and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Huntsman is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.





Thorud was dean of the UW College of Forest Resources from 1981 to 2000. He joined the UW faculty in 1981 as professor and dean. During 1984-85, Thorud was also the director of government relations. From 1994 to 1996, he served as acting provost and vice president for academic affairs.  He also served as acting vice president of university relations from 1999 to 2000.





Thorud received a B.S. in forestry in 1958, an M.S. in forest hydrology in 1960 and a Ph.D. in forestry hydrology in 1964, all from the University of Minnesota.  He is a fellow of the Society of American Foresters.