Thomas LeBlanc | |
---|---|
17th President of the George Washington University | |
In office 1 July 2017 –31 December 2021 | |
Preceded by | Steven Knapp |
Succeeded by | Mark S. Wrighton |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas LeBlanc 8 September 1955 |
Thomas John LeBlanc is a computer scientist and academic administrator. He was the President of the George Washington University from July 2017 to December 2021.
LeBlanc earned a Bachelor of Science in computer sciences from the State University of New York,Plattsburgh. He earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in computer sciences from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1982. [1]
LeBlanc has been widely published in computer science and engineering journals. LeBlanc has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on eight federally-funded research initiatives. [2] He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
LeBlanc became the President of the George Washington University in July 2017. He had previously worked with GW as the chair of the evaluation team for GW's academic accreditation during the 2007–2008 academic year.[ citation needed ]
Prior to his appointment as President of the George Washington University,LeBlanc served as the University of Miami's Chief Academic Officer,Chief Budget Officer,Executive Vice-president,and Provost. While at the University of Miami,LeBlanc led the development and implementation of the university's strategic plan. He served as interim President of the University of Miami in 2015. He also led the deans in the design of a $1.6 billion fundraising campaign.[ citation needed ]
Prior to Miami,LeBlanc served as Vice Provost &Dean of the Faculty of Arts,Sciences,and Engineering at the University of Rochester. He was chair of the department of computer science and the Dean of the College Faculty. He is credited with the development of the biomedical engineering department with the University of Rochester Medical Center. [3]
In May 2021,LeBlanc said he would retire from his position at GWU at the end of the 2021–2022 academic year. [4] However,in September 2021,GWU's Board of Trustees Chair Grace E. Speights said LeBlanc would step down at the end of 2021,to be replaced by former Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. [5]
On February 1,2020,a video was posted to the George Washington University Overheard Facebook page where a freshman at the university,Sophie Gengler,asked President LeBlanc about divestment from fossil fuels. [6] In the video,LeBlanc admitted for the first time that 3% of the university's endowment is indirectly invested in the fossil fuels industry through buying funds that invest in "whatever they want to invest in" which includes the carbon industry. This,along with other points the president made about the university's relationship with climate change activism and deniers,sparked a student protest and several petitions demanding for the university to divest immediately.[ citation needed ]
In the same video,LeBlanc criticized majority rule over GW policy by saying,"What if the majority of the students agreed to shoot all the black people here?" [6] Students quickly condemned the president's comments as "racially insensitive" and "thoughtless." [7] The president later apologized,saying "The point I was making –that majority rule should never suppress the human rights of others –was obscured by the example I used...I regret my choice of words and any harm I unintentionally inflicted on a community I value greatly." [7]
The George Washington University is a private federally chartered research university in Washington,D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress,GWU is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia.
The George Washington University Law School is the law school of George Washington University,in Washington,D.C. Established in 1865,GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law boasts the nation's largest course offerings with 275 elective courses in business and finance law,environmental law,government procurement law,intellectual property law,international comparative law,litigation and dispute resolution,and national security and U.S. foreign relations law. Admissions are highly selective as the law school receives thousands of applications. In 2020,the acceptance rate was 21%.
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was the 15th President of the George Washington University,serving from 1988 to 2007. On August 1,2007,he retired from the presidency and became GW's President Emeritus and University Professor of Public Service at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
The Elliott School of International Affairs is the professional school of international relations,foreign policy,and international development of the George Washington University,in Washington,D.C. It is highly ranked in international affairs and is the largest school of international relations in the United States.
Mark Stephen Wrighton is an American academic and chemist,and the current President of the George Washington University. In September 2021,Wrighton was named the Interim President of The George Washington University for an 18-month term and succeeded Thomas LeBlanc in January 2022. During his time at GWU,he will concurrently be on sabbatical from Washington University in St. Louis where he is the James and Mary Wertsch Distinguished University Professor and Chancellor Emeritus. Wrighton served as the 14th Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1995 to 2019.
Steven Knapp is an American academic who served as the 16th President of the George Washington University,in Washington,DC,succeeding Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. He currently serves on the boards of the World Affairs Council,the Economic Club of Washington,DC,the U.S. Council on Competitiveness,and the National Symphony Orchestra,as well as serving as a fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Modern Language Association.
The George Washington University School of Business is the professional business school of George Washington University in Washington,D.C. The GW School of Business is ranked as one of the top business schools in the United States,with globally ranked undergraduate and graduate programs. GW's campus is also adjacent to some of the world's leading financial institutions,including the Federal Reserve,World Bank,and International Monetary Fund.
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the professional medical school of the George Washington University,in Washington,D.C. SMHS is one of the most selective medical schools in the United States based on the number of applicants.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the college of liberal arts and sciences of the George Washington University,in Washington,D.C. The Columbian College is especially known for its programs in forensic science,political sciences,history,English,and economics in the United States.
The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) at the George Washington University in Washington,DC,a school in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences,offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in journalism and political and international communication. The School's director is Frank Sesno,former CNN correspondent,creator of PBS's Planet Forward and professor.
The Milken Institute School of Public Health is the school of public health of the George Washington University,in Washington,DC. U.S. News &World Report University Rankings ranks the SPH as the 12th best public health graduate program in the United States.
M. Brian Blake(born 1971) is an American computer scientist/software engineer and the eighth president of Georgia State University. He was previously the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at George Washington University;executive vice president of academic affairs and the Nina Henderson Provost at Drexel University;the dean of the graduate school and vice provost for academic affairs at the University of Miami;an associate dean for research and professor at the College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame;and department chair and professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University.
Cloyd Heck Marvin was the longest serving president of the George Washington University,from 1927 to 1959,and previously the then-youngest American university president from 1922–1927 at the University of Arizona. He was a freemason.
The George Washington University Student Association is the student government of the George Washington University in Washington,DC. The SA is responsible for advocacy on behalf of the GW student body at and is modeled after the U.S. Federal Government and consists of three branches:legislative,executive and judicial.
Christopher Alan Bracey is an American law professor and former litigator who currently serves as the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of The George Washington University. He is a leading scholar on race,inequality,and the law and is the author of Saviors or Sellouts:The Promise and Peril of Black Conservatism from Booker T. Washington to Condoleezza Rice (2008) and co-editor of The Dred Scott Case:Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Race and Law (2010).
The George Washington University School of Nursing is the professional nursing school of the George Washington University,in Washington,D.C. Founded in 2010,GW Nursing is the newest of the 10 schools and colleges of George Washington University.
Carol Dianne Briggs Martin is an American computer scientist,former Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at George Washington University and first Senior Faculty Fellow of the North Carolina (NC) Study Center. She currently teaches at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Department of Computer Science and the School of Information and Library Sciences.
The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University,appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision,oversee its teaching and research mission and guide its future."
Keith A. Crandall is an American computational biologist,bioinformaticist,and population geneticist,at George Washington University,where he is the founding director of the Computational Biology Institute,and professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics.