Rice University Provost George L. McClendon Faculty Retirement Committee records

Dr. George McLendon is the Rice University provost whose leadership led to the gathering of the materials in this collection. McLendon became the Howard R. Hughes Provost and Professor of Chemistry for Rice University in July, 2010. His service to the University covered a five-year term, which ended in June 2015.

George McLendon earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and a doctorate from Texas A&M University. Prior to coming to Rice, he had been first the R.W. Moore Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University and then Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Science at Duke University.

His research is in the areas of inorganic and physical biochemistry. His publications, which comprise over 200 peer reviewed papers, range from solar nanotechnology to cell death pathways. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases are associated with his recent research. He has also been involved in several biotech startup companies, including Tetralogic Pharmaceuticals.

His contributions as Rice Provost include recruitment of outstanding faculty, launching and securing funds for an initiative in energy and the environment, establishing a leadership position in quantitative biology, building programs for the BioScience Research Collaborative, strengthening Rice undergraduate education particularly by starting the program in writing and communication, developing important international relationships in Brazil and China, supporting student entrepreneurial efforts, and overseeing the university’s initial activity in digital education.

In March 2014 McLendon announced his intention to step down from the provost position when he completed his five-year term in June 2015. He explained that it was his wish to return to teaching and research, particularly related to leadership and entrepreneurship. He said, “These areas are so close to my own activity and teaching that it has been hard for me as provost to fully participate without the perception of conflict.”

McLendon subsequently left Rice. By May 2017 he had become vice president for research at Carolinas HealthCare System.