Former Northwestern provost Lawrence B. Dumas died Monday, leaving behind a legacy as a visionary helping construct the university's future over his 40-year career at NU.
Dumas, a biochemist whose work earned him the John Boezi Award for Outstanding Molecular Biology Research from Michigan State University and the U.S. Public Health Service Career Development Award, joined the NU faculty in 1970. He was a founding member of the department of biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology. He became the department chairman in 1985 and in 1988 was appointed Dean of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. In 1996 Dumas took the position as NU provost, which he held until he retired in 2007.
As an administrator Dumas created "The Highest Order of Excellence" a strategic plan of his vision for NU. He highlighted the importance of investing in faculty and enriching the undergraduate experience, in part by increasing opportunity for research and interdisciplinary study.
Dumas was characteristic of a forward-thinking NU aspiring to be competitive among the truly great universities. He took NU's strength as a research university, and developed it into a key point of a strategic plan leading to the establishment of three research institutes. Dumas drew upon opinions of undergraduate and graduate students to outline a plan for the future of NU emphasizing the student experience and not just a bankable image for the university.
His colleagues laud him as a friend and a mentor who "looms large in the history of Northwestern." He had no reservations in calling upon faculty and fellow administrators to challenge themselves in fulfilling NU's potential. Their reflections upon Dumas' passing reflect a deep appreciation for his genuine belief that NU could be "the very best institution not only in the United States, but the very best in the whole world." For his leadership, his allegiance to the university and friendship to many, he will be missed.
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