Robert Thompson, who as dean of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences helped lead significant curricular changes at Duke University, will be stepping down from his post Aug. 1, 2008, to return to teaching.
Thompson, who has served as a dean for 11 years, holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Pediatrics.
In an e-mail to George McLendon, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, Thompson said he was "especially proud of our accomplishments in enhancing undergraduate education and in establishing an undergraduate culture of research. The college is in good shape for a transition in leadership."
Thompson became dean of undergraduate affairs for Trinity College in 1997 and Trinity College dean in 1999. He was named vice provost for undergraduate education in 2004. He also served as director of the Undergraduate Program in Human Development and co-director of the Faculty Associates Program.
One of Thompson's accomplishments was helping craft Curriculum 2000, a major revision of the undergraduate curriculum that requires students to take courses in five areas of knowledge (arts, literatures and performance; civilizations; natural sciences; quantitative studies; and social sciences) and six modes of inquiry (cross-cultural inquiry; ethical inquiry; science, technology and society; foreign language; research; and writing). The following February, Duke was one of 15 colleges recognized by the Association of American Colleges and Universities for excellence in undergraduate education.
"Bob has provided superb leadership in rethinking and remaking undergraduate education in Trinity College. He has been a critical participant and often the leader in the most critical curricular innovations of the last decade," said Provost Peter Lange, the university's top academic officer. "He has also not simply trusted that his education instincts were right, but has driven the process to assure that we assess, analyze and reshape our teaching undertakings based on strong data and careful thought."
Thompson also spearheaded efforts to promote faculty-mentored undergraduate research and to improve and enhance Duke's undergraduate advising system. He promoted the creation of the Office of Undergraduate Research Support. He also played a role in the creation of Visible Thinking, an annual showcase of research in the natural and social sciences and the humanities carried out by Duke students.
During his tenure, the percentage of each graduating class having completed a mentored research project increased from 15 percent in 2002-03 to 48 percent in 2006-07. In the same time frame, the percentage in each class having graduated with distinction in their major increased from 13 percent in 2002-03 to 21 percent in 2006-07.
Lange said the university also was indebted to Thompson for his work as chair of the Campus Culture Initiative Steering Committee. The committee, created in the wake of the lacrosse incident, was charged by President Richard H. Brodhead to examine the campus culture, focusing on undergraduate life.
"In the most difficult of circumstances, Bob and his colleagues directed our attention to areas in which the Duke undergraduate experience could be further strengthened through changes in the classroom and beyond," Lange said. "I anticipate and hope that we will be able to continue to draw on his experience and vision as we continue to grow the programs that he has initiated."