On November 1, Dr. Bob Flowers took another step along a long and winding path that has led him deep into the heart and soul of Lehigh University--and at perhaps the most critical time in its academic history. Named as the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Flowers now sits at the helm of an expanding and very rapidly evolving College. A native of Easton, Pennsylvania, he received his B.S. in Chemistry from East Stroudsburg University. Flowers went on to earn his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Lehigh under the supervision of John Larsen. After leaving Lehigh in 1991, he carried out postdoctoral studies with Ned Arnett at Duke University. It was there that he developed his passion for academia while tutoring undergraduate students in organic chemistry. With this focus in mind, Arnett mentored Bob preparing him well for the launch of his career. After his work at Duke, he obtained a position at the University of Toledo and rose to the rank of Associate Professor. When Texas Tech offered a position in 2001 with more research capability, he jumped at the chance and settled into an exciting program -- only to be lured back to his alma mater, Lehigh University, in 2003 by a phone call from Lehigh Chemistry Chair, Doyle Daves who has returned to Lehigh as Interim Chair. With much careful consideration, Flowers accepted the position and remained Chair of the Department of Chemistry for nearly 12 years, stepping down in 2015. After a year on the faculty teaching sophomore organic chemistry, he took the position of Deputy Provost for Faculty Affairs in 2016. During this time, Flowers was very active with his research group which concentrates on the mechanistic analysis and development of electron transfer reagents in organic synthesis, organometallic chemistry, calorimetric analysis of intermolecular interactions, and applications of back-scattering interferometry in molecular recognition. He has published nearly 130 peer-reviewed papers, a book, a patent, and five book chapters. He has given more than 100 invited U.S. and international lectures at universities and professional meetings and served as a visiting professor at the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National university and the School of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He is most proud of his students and has mentored over 30 M.S. and Ph.D. students and nearly 50 undergraduate students. Flowers has taught a range of both undergraduate and graduate courses--receiving the Outstanding Teacher Award and designation as Master Teacher at the University of Toledo and the Chancellor's Council Distinguished Research Award while at Texas Tech. In 2008, Flowers was awarded the Danser Distinguished Faculty Chair in Chemistry which is given in honor of excellence in research, teaching, and service. In 2012, he received the Eleanor and Joseph F. Libsch Research Award; in 2016, the Dean's Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; and in 2017, he earned the Hillman Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Chemistry. When announcing his appointment as Dean, Provost Patrick Farrell noted in the Lehigh News, "Flowers has a great deal of experience working on behalf of faculty across Lehigh and brings a well-informed perspective on both academic and administrative issues . . . He brings a unique perspective on this roll, well-informed by his work in the provost's office and his years of teaching and research in the College of Arts and Sciences. Bob has an appreciation for Lehigh's past and for an expansive plan for the future." Flowers noted that he has benefited from the growing intellectual atmosphere on campus resulting from the hard work of colleagues in the college. He shared that, "The College of Arts and Sciences is on a 'great trajectory' and I believe we are poised to make further strides in national and international recognition." He vows to "provide a supportive and inclusive environment to enable excellence in scholarly activity and teaching and facilitate the efforts of colleagues to achieve a shared vision of the college and university." (To read more, see the article in the online Lehigh News -October 29, 2020 edition.) College of Arts and Sciences Names Flowers as New Dean Page 6 Page 4 · Lehigh University
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