Hugh Lena, PC’s first provost, dies at 76

PROVIDENCE – Hugh F. Lena III, who was Providence College’s first provost and senior vice president and had been part of the college’s academic and administrative community for a half-century, died Jan. 4 following a brief illness, the college announced.

Lena was 76.

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PC said Lena first joined the Dominican Friars college in 1974 as an assistant professor before being promoted to professor in 1993. Afterward, Lena was the college’s chief academic officer for a period of 16 years.

Lena was PC’s vice president for academic affairs from 2004 through 2009 and then became its first provost and senior vice president, the college said. Lena served as provost until he stepped down on June 30, 2020.

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During his time as an administrator, Lena championed the process that linked faculty tenure with promotion and introduced a faculty post-tenure review system. He also revamped the college’s core curriculum, the college said, and he introduced a fourth-semester colloquium to PC’s Development of Western Civilization program, PC said.

Lena was also pivotal in establishing the Innovation and Creativity Suite in the new Ruane Center for Humanities as a space to foster collaboration, leading to evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement, PC said.

“Hugh Lena exemplified the best of Providence College, and he lived a life characterized by selfless service to others,” PC President The Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard said in a statement. “His fidelity to the college’s mission and core ideals was unshakable, providing the foundation for the decisions he made and the vision he shaped. In all aspects of his life – his work, his service to the poor and marginalized, and his commitment to the family he cherished – Hugh was a humble, principled vessel of God’s love. Providence College is a vastly better place for his leadership and his inspirational example.”

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.