University of Richmond provost named president of Albright College

University of Richmond Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jacque Fetrow will become the 15th president of Albright College in Reading, Pa., effective June 2017. Fetrow received her undergraduate degree from Albright College and will become the first alum to lead the institution.

“Jacque has provided critical academic leadership at Richmond and had a remarkably positive impact on our academic programs and administration,” said President Ronald A. Crutcher. “At the same time, this is an exceptional opportunity for her and for Albright, and I know she will be an outstanding leader for her alma mater, just as she was at Richmond.”

Crutcher cited Fetrow’s work particularly in the area of faculty leadership and governance, which included the formation of a faculty senate. She recruited outstanding deans, including Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; Jamelle Wilson, dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies; and Martha Merritt, dean of International Education. Fetrow has also played a critical role in the University’s developing strategic plan, co-chairing the team that is focusing on the critical topic of academic excellence.

“We are fortunate that Jacque will continue to provide leadership and assistance to our strategic planning process through late spring before becoming president at her alma mater,” Crutcher added.

“I am humbled to have been asked to assume the presidency of Albright College, and I am looking forward to returning to my alma mater to work with the talented faculty and staff I have met there,” said Fetrow. “It has been a great honor for me to serve the University of Richmond as vice president and provost. I am proud of the work we’ve done together. I retain a deep and abiding respect for the many high caliber and high quality individuals who are the heart and soul of the University of Richmond.”

Fetrow has served as Richmond’s chief academic officer since July 2014. Prior to that she spent 11 years at Wake Forest University, where she served as dean of Wake Forest College, the Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics, and dean of the graduate track in structural and computational biophysics. She has also held research positions at the Scripps Research Institute, a faculty position at the University at Albany-SUNY, and post-doctoral fellowships at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Rochester.

The university will make plans to begin a national search for its next provost in the coming weeks.

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