Donald H. DeHayes has been named URI’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs. He starts in April.

He succeeds M. Beverly Swan ’63, M.A. ’66, who served in the position for 17 years and who will return to the faculty.

DeHayes will serve as the chief academic officer of the University with overall supervisory responsibility for its teaching and scholarly missions. He will advise the president on policies and operations, chair the Council of Deans, and serve on the President’s Team, the Faculty Senate, and the Joint Strategic Planning Committee. He will also oversee special centers and partnerships.

“The provost is responsible for the vitality of the University’s academic life and the intellectual well-being of our students, staff, and faculty. I know that Dr. DeHayes will serve that role well and provide outstanding leadership to our innovative community of scholars,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers.

DeHayes comes to URI after a 30-year career at the University of Vermont, where he started as an assistant professor straight from graduate school and taught courses in forest biology, natural resource ecology, and conservation biology while conducting research on the genetics and physiology of forest ecosystems. He was promoted to full professor in 1989 and subsequently served as graduate program coordinator, associate dean, and interim dean before being appointed dean of the Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources in 2000.

As dean, DeHayes led an effort to transform the school by recasting its mission, establishing a completely new curriculum, hiring new faculty, and building a respected interdisciplinary research enterprise that has yielded an average of $350,000 in research grants per faculty member per year. He also achieved tremendous success in fundraising.