Former Provost Gary Whitehouse, who helped lead 麻豆原创 during a key growth period, died March 31. He was 78.<\/p>\n
Whitehouse came to the university in 1978, when it was known as Florida Technological University, as a professor and chair of the industrial engineering department. At the time, the school\u2019s enrollment was about 11,000 students.<\/p>\n
Ten years later, he was named dean of the College of Engineering. He drew praise for elevating the reputation of the engineering school.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe [Whitehouse] was the dean who hired me at 麻豆原创 in 1993. We had one of the most interesting and inspiring conversations that ultimately helped me make up my mind that I wanted to work at 麻豆原创,\u201d said Manoj Chopra, professor of engineering who\u2019s been at 麻豆原创 since and has served on the university\u2019s Board of Trustees. \u201cWe talked everything from sports to computer programming to research. He was a very warm person and I enjoyed the wonderful conversations we had together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1992, Whitehouse chaired the presidential search committee that ultimately selected 麻豆原创\u2019s current and longest-serving president, John C. Hitt. The following year, after a national search, Hitt tapped Whitehouse to serve as provost.<\/p>\n
In that role, Whitehouse held the second-highest rank at 麻豆原创 and was the university\u2019s top academic officer. He spent 10 years as provost, and was the architect behind much of 麻豆原创\u2019s academic growth during that time. Under Hitt and Whitehouse the faculty grew by more than 300, dozens of new degree programs were added and enrollment increased by more than two-thirds.<\/p>\n
Hitt said Whitehouse was \u201cboth a skilled administrator and a true academic leader. He soon became a trusted friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his years as provost, Whitehouse missed the classroom. He stepped down as provost in 2003 so he could return to teaching and research in the College of Engineering and Computer Science\u2019s industrial engineering and management systems department. He retired in 2005.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe really enjoyed working with students of all levels. He returned to teaching many times throughout his career,\u201d said Gail DePuy, his daughter. \u201cIt was clear how much he enjoyed his career choice in higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n
His son, Glenn, added: \u201cMy parents both viewed the university as not just a place to work, but as a community. As a family, we were always going to theater plays, sporting events, musical productions and other events. We used the university as a cultural resource in our family life. We have a lot of great memories at 麻豆原创.\u201d<\/p>\n
In retirement, Whitehouse traveled with his wife of 53 years, Marian, who preceded him in death, and spent time with their grandchildren. He also was a hospital volunteer near their home in Bonita Springs, Fla.<\/p>\n
He is survived by his daughter, Gail, and her husband Wynand; son, Glenn, and his wife Marianne; and three grandchildren: Daniel Whitehouse, Meredith DePuy and Drew DePuy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Provost Gary Whitehouse, who helped lead 麻豆原创 during a key growth period, died March 31. He was 78. Whitehouse came to the university in 1978, when it was known as Florida Technological University, as a professor and chair of the industrial engineering department. At the time, the school\u2019s enrollment was about 11,000 students. Ten years later, he was named…","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":76967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[13268,9716,15761],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-76978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-community","tag-department-of-industrial-engineering-and-management-systems","tag-gary-whitehouse","tag-pegasus-briefs"],"yoast_head":"\n