Richard Feldman named interim UR president

When Richard Feldman stepped down as dean of the College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering at the University of Rochester in January 2017, he said: "I love this job, but it's time to slow down a little bit."

That will have to wait.

Feldman, a 40-year UR employee who most recently was teaching in the philosophy department, was announced Friday afternoon as the university's interim president. He will replace Joel Seligman effective March 1.

In a statement, Board of Trustees President Danny Wegman said: "As a scholar, an award-winning teacher, and a supremely capable and compassionate administrator, Rich Feldman is respected and admired by students, faculty, and staff alike. The university could not ask for a better leader for this next chapter in the institution’s history."

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Seligman announced his resignation Thursday as part of a remarkable day on the River Campus; he made his decision just hours before — and announced it just hours after — a special report on sexual misconduct was released.

Feldman first came to UR in 1975 as an assistant professor of philosophy before advancing through the institution, first as department chair then as dean of the college.

His academic specialty is epistemology, the theoretical study of knowledge. He is best known for developing and defending the idea of 'evidentialism,' which states that a person's beliefs on a given topic are justified only if the evidence she possesses at that moment justifies them.

Last fall, he gave a series of lectures called "Rationality, Evidence and Public Discourse," which presumably will give him some insight into the heated debate over Professor Florian Jaeger and accusations — largely rebutted in the Mary Jo White report — of sexual harassment and retaliation.

Feldman also served as co-chairman of UR's Commission on Race and Diversity, the response to a different cultural firestorm two years ago.

He was an architect of the Rochester Curriculum, which gives undergraduates latitude to build their own programs of study, and moved toward greater interdisciplinary collaboration. He also oversaw the expansion of student support services, including mental health and counseling.

"I have asked Rich to immediately take responsibility for leading the effort to respond to the independent investigation report, and to make it his top priority to work with members of the university community and the board to develop a plan to act on the report’s recommendations," Wegman wrote. "We know there are challenges that we face as a university, but there are also vast stores of talent, goodwill, and respect. With President Feldman leading us, I am confident that we can engage every part of the university community to move our great institution forward."

JMURPHY7@Gannett.com