Robert Sproull
Encyclopedia
Robert Lamb Sproull is a retired American
educator, physicist
, and US Department of Defense official.
Sproull was born in Lacon, Illinois
. A graduate of Deep Springs College
, Sproull studied English literature
at Cornell University
before taking a Ph.D.
at the same university in physics
. He began a promising and productive career as a physicist at Cornell and headed the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics (LASSP) and the Materials Science Center. Sproull left Cornell to become director of ARPA where he was a strong advocate of cooperation among academia, government, and industry to meet US scientific needs for defense and competition with the Soviet Union
.
After taking up an administrative post at Cornell, he became provost
and vice president
of the University of Rochester
in 1968. While at Rochester, he also served on Cornell's Board of Trustees. In 1970, he became Rochester's President, and the trustees voted in 1974 to make him the university’s chief executive officer. He retired as president and became professor of physics at the university in 1985. He serves on the Board of the George C. Marshall Institute
. He was Chairman of the Defense Science Board
. He was a member of the Roundtable Council of the National Academy of Sciences
.
In 2005, the University of Rochester named its Center for High Intensity Laser Research in his honor. In 2006, Sproull and his wife donated $1 million to create the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund that provides a stable source of new funding to enhance the productivity, research capabilities, and reputation of the
Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR). In 2006, Sproull was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology in Telluride, Colorado
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator, physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, and US Department of Defense official.
Sproull was born in Lacon, Illinois
Lacon, Illinois
Lacon is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,979 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lacon is located at ....
. A graduate of Deep Springs College
Deep Springs College
Deep Springs is a private, all-male , alternative college in Deep Springs, California, in the United States. A two-year college, the institution currently aims for a student body size of 26, though the number is occasionally lower...
, Sproull studied English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
before taking a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the same university in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. He began a promising and productive career as a physicist at Cornell and headed the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics (LASSP) and the Materials Science Center. Sproull left Cornell to become director of ARPA where he was a strong advocate of cooperation among academia, government, and industry to meet US scientific needs for defense and competition with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
After taking up an administrative post at Cornell, he became provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
and vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1968. While at Rochester, he also served on Cornell's Board of Trustees. In 1970, he became Rochester's President, and the trustees voted in 1974 to make him the university’s chief executive officer. He retired as president and became professor of physics at the university in 1985. He serves on the Board of the George C. Marshall Institute
George C. Marshall Institute
The George C. Marshall Institute is a politically conservative think tank established in 1984 in Washington, D.C. with a focus on scientific issues and public policy. In the 1980s, the Institute was engaged primarily in lobbying in support of the Strategic Defense Initiative...
. He was Chairman of the Defense Science Board
Defense Science Board
The Defense Science Board is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters...
. He was a member of the Roundtable Council of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
In 2005, the University of Rochester named its Center for High Intensity Laser Research in his honor. In 2006, Sproull and his wife donated $1 million to create the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund that provides a stable source of new funding to enhance the productivity, research capabilities, and reputation of the
Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR). In 2006, Sproull was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology in Telluride, Colorado
Telluride, Colorado
The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...
.