URI Board of Trustees Names Parlange President - Replaces Retiring Dooley
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
The Board of Trustees of the University of Rhode Island announced on Monday the selection of Professor Marc B. Parlange to serve as the University's 12th President
He will succeed David M. Dooley, who joined URI in July 2009. Parlange’s appointment is effective August 1, 2021.
Parlange is presently provost and senior vice president of Monash University in Australia.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHe was born in Providence to parents who emigrated from France and Ireland. Parlange will leave Monash, a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with an enrollment of more than 85,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
URI has 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students, a budget of more than $800 million and four campuses.
"The presidential search was built on four guiding principles that Dr. Parlange exemplifies,” said Thomas M. Ryan, chair of the Presidential Search Committee and member of the Board of Trustees. “He is an accomplished, visionary leader who has focused on student success and experience. During his career, he has advanced global scholarly research, navigated financial challenges, built strong industry partnerships and developed a depth of experience in creating more diverse and inclusive communities, especially for the most historically marginalized members of our society. Dr. Parlange’s leadership will accelerate the University’s already impressive trajectory. We found a champion for all faculty, staff, and students, a president who can lead the University toward another transformational decade.
“We were fortunate to have a wide and deep pool of extraordinary candidates, which is a credit to the leadership and vision that have transformed URI during the past 12 years and the incredible dedication and bold agenda of President David M. Dooley, and our faculty and staff,” Ryan said the former CEO of CVS and a major donor to URI.
Parlange's Experience
Prior to joining Monash, Parlange was dean of the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Previously, Parlange served as dean of the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2008 through 2013 and as director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering from 2004 through 2007 at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. He has also held research and teaching appointments at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, Davis.
According to Parlange's bio at Monash, "A highly regarded research scientist, Professor Parlange is recognized internationally for his expertise in environmental fluid mechanics. His contributions in this broad area primarily relate to the measurement and simulation of air and water flows over complex terrain, with a focus on how air turbulence and atmospheric dynamics (atmospheric boundary layer flow) influence urban, agricultural and alpine environments. Professor Parlange is active in addressing water resources challenges and environmental change in remote communities, particularly West Africa, through his research on hydrology and climate change."
“I am honored and delighted for this opportunity to lead the University of Rhode Island,” Parlange said. “My life and career have taken me around the world, and to be coming full circle here, back to Rhode Island where I was born, is especially meaningful for me. I have great appreciation for the transformational work President David Dooley has achieved, and a real sense of excitement and ambition for the future."
“I am glad to welcome Dr. Parlange back to the Ocean State to serve as the next University of Rhode Island President,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Throughout his years of service in higher education around the globe, Dr. Parlange has gained invaluable experience in innovative research, international relations, and inclusive leadership that will serve our state university well. As a new Governor, I look forward to working with Dr. Parlange as the university’s new president during this critical time for Rhode Island and our higher education community – together, there is so much we can accomplish for the next generation of University of Rhode Island students.”
More about Parlange:
Parlange became a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2017, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union.
He has received prestigious awards for his academic achievements, including an early career Macelwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union, the Dalton Medal of the European Geosciences Union and university teaching awards at EPFL and UBC. Parlange was awarded the 2020 American Meteorological Society’s Hydrologic Sciences Medal.
Parlange and his wife, Mary, have two children, Brendan and Luc.
