Michigan Tech Vice Provost Lee to Retire
Lee has led both the research effort and the graduate school since 1988. During his tenure, Michigan Tech's PhD enrollment has almost doubled in size. In addition, the university has added a number of new doctoral programs in such areas as computational science, environmental engineering, and the Peace Corps/master's program in forestry. The university's research efforts have grown significantly, as well, with expenditures expanding from less than $8 million in 1988 to more than $26 million during 1999-2000. "On behalf of the Board of Control and the three MTU presidents with which Dr. Lee has served during the past 35 years, I thank him for his loyal and dedicated service to Michigan Tech," said Michigan Tech president Curt Tompkins. "I have enjoyed working and traveling with him during the past nine years and I wish him all the best in the years ahead. Michigan Tech is a much better institution because of his contributions." In recent years, Lee has been active in putting Michigan Tech on the global map, developing cooperative agreements with institutions in his native Korea. "Sung Lee has been a steady supporter and advocate for research and graduate education at Michigan Tech," said Stephen Bowen, interim provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs. "It will be hard to fill his shoes. We anticipate an interim appointment in a couple of weeks and we will conduct a national search during the upcoming academic year." Lee was also instrumental in the growth of Michigan Tech's Keweenaw Research Center (KRC). KRC does engineering design, analysis and testing for a wide range of military, automotive, aerospace and marine clients. As its director from 1976-1991, he expanded its programs 12-fold and increased the staff from zero to 35 researchers. He organized and directed the successful Institute for Snow Research in the KRC, which does basic and applied research related to snow, ice, and cold-environment engineering. The center now undertakes such practical projects as developing a more effective grooming machine for snowmobile trails and methods for building runways in Antarctica. Bruce Rafert chairs Michigan Tech's physics department, where Lee joined the faculty in 1965. "Sung's leadership helped guide Michigan Tech from an institution with an established reputation for instruction at the undergraduate level," he said, "to a research-intensive public institution whose faculty assume roles of national and international leadership in research and graduate studies." Lee joined Michigan Tech in 1965 as an assistant professor of physics. He was an active teacher and researcher in the department, publishing many papers and receiving the university's Research Award in 1971. He served 15 years as director of the Keweenaw Research Center, beginning in 1976, was promoted to dean of research and the graduate school in 1988, and was named to his current position in 1990. Lee has served on the boards of directors of a number of high-profile professional organizations, including the Council of Graduate Schools, the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, and the Graduate Record Examination. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Council on Research Policy and Graduate Education for the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. Lee plans to continue to live in Houghton and spend more time with his grandchildren in Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and near San Francisco. 7/26/00--MTN336
Sung Lee
HOUGHTON -- Dr. Sung M. Lee, vice provost for research and dean of the graduate school at Michigan Tech, will retire from the university on August 31, 2000. He has served Michigan Tech as a teacher, researcher, and administrator for 35 years.