Associate Dean for Administration and Planning
W. Richard Howe spent three years as a member of the chemistry faculty at St. Vincent College before he joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. He rose through administrative ranks in Pitt’s Chemistry Department before becoming its assistant chair. In 1986, he was appointed the associate dean for administration in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences (then the Faculty of Arts and Sciences). In 2005, his portfolio was expanded to associate dean of administration and planning.
Associate Dean Howe has shown dedication to his profession as the chairman of the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (1986-87), local chairman for the 1989 International Science and Engineering Fair (held in Pittsburgh), and local chairman for the 1992 International Chemistry Olympics, which also was held in Pittsburgh. He has belonged to the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Pittsburgh High School Chemistry Sub-Group of the ACS. He has been a member of the organizing committee for the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PITTCON) since 1982. In 1994, he served as the president of PITTCON and hosted more than 32,000 international chemists and other laboratory scientists at the annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. He continues to serve on a variety of PITTCON committees, including the Site Selection Committee, Long Term Planning Committee, and Exposition Committee.
Since 1997, Associate Dean Howe has been an active member of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s efforts to preserve the rich heritage of chemical instrumentation. He served as the founding chair of its Chemical Instruments and Artifacts Committee and has been a member of its Chemical Heritage Council since 1998.
In his spare time, Associate Dean Howe is active in a variety of science outreach programs in the Pittsburgh area. He also served as president of the North Allegheny District Band Patrons for two terms and as vice president of the North Allegheny Fine Arts Coalition. Associate Dean Howe and his wife, Betsy, have three daughters, all of whom are Pitt graduates.