Lange called McLendon a scientist and academic leader of unusualbreadth, one who has demonstrated a strong commitment to academicexcellence in both teaching and research.

Lange said McLendon also had taken initiatives that showed his"deep commitment to the ways universities and their faculty can andshould serve the broader society," citing the development of anon-line advanced placement course in chemistry for school districtswhose high schools cannot afford or do not offer an AP course inchemistry.

McLendon has achieved "a demonstrated record as a programbuilder" and impressed the search committee with "his commitment toopen and close relations between administration and faculty,"DiPrete said. "George is also a superb speaker with a deep interestin both undergraduate and graduate education, and has the vision,skills and energy needed to advance Duke's standing among thenation's premier research universities."

McLendon will take the helm of the academic unit that lies atthe heart of Duke. Arts and Sciences includes Trinity College,where about 85 percent of Duke's undergraduates are enrolled, andmany of the programs in the graduate school. Nearly 600 facultymembers in A&S departments and programs teach coursesranging from quantum physics to Chinese philosophy, with many alsoparticipating in interdisciplinary units. Some 5,300 undergraduatesare enrolled in Trinity College, and undergraduates from the PrattSchool of Engineering -- now numbering about 900 but due to expandto nearly 1,100 over the next several years -- take about halftheir courses there. The Graduate School trains about 1,200students for professions in the arts and sciences as well as indivinity, business, environmental and earth sciences, andengineering.

"George McLendon will be a superb leader for Arts and Sciences,"said Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane. "He will also be part of anexceptionally strong team along with Provost Lange and DickBrodhead, who will assume the presidency of Duke at the same time.George impressed all of us as a first-class teacher, researcher andadministrator who knows how to inspire people to think boldly andstrategically."

McLendon said Duke is unusual in having its A&S corebound so tightly to the rest of the university. "Arts and Sciencesis in remarkable proximity to several truly great professionalschools, and there are opportunities to build new bridges to enrichundergraduate and graduate studies," he said. Possible examplesinvolve genomics, chemical biology or quantitative biology, or newties between social science departments and the Fuqua School ofBusiness.

Similarly, McLendon welcomes collaborations with the PrattSchool of Engineering, saying "it is not merely that Arts andSciences can provide an education to engineering students; thereverse is also true. We want students to think about the issuesraised by technology before they are in the middle of them."

McLendon said he is impressed by the strength of manyA&S programs, from high-energy physics to arts andhumanities departments that "are doing absolutely wonderful thingsand are traditionally a source of strength at Duke."

He also emphasized the importance of building on existingsuccesses in undergraduate education. Duke's Focus Program, inwhich first-year students examine one topic from variousperspectives, for example, might be complemented with a range ofnew "capstone experiences" for juniors and seniors. Similarly,graduate students might benefit from enhanced opportunities forteaching and mentoring, creating what McLendon called "a learningcontinuum" that strengthens ties across the university.

The new dean said he also looks forward to collaborations withother universities in the Triangle and to supporting efforts tostrengthen Duke's ties with Durham and North Carolina.

Citing a recent study by Duke Student Government that expressedconcern about retaining Duke's special character, McLendon said, "Ithink they had a good point when they said, 'We don't want to beanother Ivy.' There's something uniquely special about Duke. It's alot younger than a place like Princeton, and much more flexible inthinking about what it wants to become."

McLendon joined Princeton in 1995 as the Russell Wellman MooreProfessor of Chemistry. A year later, he became chair of thechemistry department, a position he had held at the University ofRochester, where he was the Tracy H. Harris Professor of Chemistry.McLendon joined the University of Rochester faculty in 1976 afterreceiving his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Texas A&MUniversity. He earned his B.S. degree magna cum laude from theUniversity of Texas at El Paso in 1972.

In recent years, McLendon's research has focused on theinteraction of large biological molecules, electron transfer inchemical and biological systems, and protein chemistry in processessuch as the cellular control of apoptosis, the "programmed celldeath" process that affects both normal development and a range ofdiseases. Some of his research has been applied in new diagnostictechniques for cancer. A longer description of his work isavailable online at http://www.princeton.edu/~glm.

In addition to his research and teaching, McLendon has been anactive member of the Princeton community. He has served on two keyuniversity committees, one that recommends academic and financialpriorities to Princeton's president and provost to guide annualcampus-wide budget planning, and another that reviews facultytenure appointments and recruitments across all disciplines.

He also has been a leader in promoting interdisciplinary effortsin numerous fields, including materials research, photonics andenvironmental studies, which are priority areas in Duke'slong-range academic plan, "Building on Excellence." He hasconsulted widely in industry and serves on the boards of severalstart-up companies. He is the founder of Tetralogic Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnologycompany that focuses on cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

McLendon has received a number of awards and was named anhonorary fellow of Worcester College in Oxford, a Guggenheim Fellowand an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.

A self-described "fanatic collector" of historic Native Americanart from the Southwest, McLendon comes from a family whose Texasroots extend eight generations. His wife, Terry, is a physician,and their two daughters are both pursuing careers as teachers.McLendon also claims ancestors who lived in North Carolina acentury before the American Revolution. "It's a full circle now forthe McLendons coming back to North Carolina," he said with alaugh.