Steady leadership

Ralph S. Quatrano, an internationally renowned plant scientist, former dean of the Engineering school at WashU and former chair of the Department of Biology, was the center of attention Nov. 22 as his portrait, honoring his leadership of the Engineering school, was unveiled in Uncas A. Whitaker Hall.

Colleagues, friends and family gathered to give a handshake, a pat on the back or a warm hug to the man who became dean of the Engineering school July 1, 2010, and served until 2015, when he was succeeded by Aaron F. Bobick, dean of the McKelvey School of Engineering and the James M. McKelvey Professor. Quatrano is now Emeritus Dean and the Spencer T. Olin Professor Emeritus of Biology.

Jamie Adams, associate professor, area coordinator — painting at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at WashU, was commissioned to paint the portrait, which portrays Quatrano sitting at the window in the dean’s office in Stephen F. and Camilla T. Brauer Hall. A potted orchid to his left signifies his wife, Lee Anne Quatrano, who was by Quatrano’s side at many activities during his five years as dean. Behind him is a small replica of the double helix sculpture on display in the Whitaker Hall Atrium, signifying the convergence of engineering and biology during Quatrano’s tenure as dean, and a framed photo of his children. The portrait will hang in Preston M. Green Hall.

Perhaps Ralph’s single biggest contribution was to provide steady leadership and to get everyone rowing in the same direction, because it is fundamental for the school to have a North Star that we can pursue.”

— Aaron Bobick

“These portraits tell the story of who the school has been over the past 167 years, from the first dean, Calvin Woodward in the 1800s, to Alexander Langsdorf and Jim McKelvey in the 1900s, and more recently, Ralph Quatrano,” Bobick said at the unveiling. “Perhaps Ralph’s single biggest contribution was to provide steady leadership and to get everyone rowing in the same direction, because it is fundamental for the school to have a North Star that we can pursue.”

As dean of Engineering, Quatrano designed and implemented the school’s ambitious Convergence strategic plan. He hired one-third of the tenured and tenure-track faculty in place in 2015, including two department chairs, and built a sustainable research infrastructure. Recognizing the university’s priority for a diverse faculty, Quatrano increased the number of women faculty by 40 percent and hired faculty members from groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields. During his final year as dean, research awards increased by more than 25 percent.

Under his leadership, student enrollment increased by 20 percent, creating the school’s largest-ever undergraduate and graduate classes at the time. He also revitalized the Dual Degree Program, which reached its highest enrollment in 20 years.

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin first worked with Quatrano when Martin was a department chair and later when Quatrano became dean of Arts & Sciences.

“As I think about individuals who have had such profound effects on Washington University, I can think of very few who have had the impact that Ralph has had on this place,” Martin said. “An incredibly distinguished scholar who contributed through his research and through the students that he taught and mentored.” As Chancellor Emeritus Mark Wrighton mentioned, “Ralph is also an entrepreneur who thought deeply and carefully about how to take his science into the marketplace to help serve others. And as you've heard, Ralph has been an academic leader, first of our biology department and then Arts & Sciences for a year, and then the leadership that he provided to this school at a very complicated time.”

Quatrano’s fingerprint is also on Engineering facilities. Preston M. Green Hall, the third building of the East End Engineering complex, was built during his tenure, and plans began for Henry A. & Elvira H. Jubel Hall, which was completed in 2019. During Quatrano’s time as dean, nearly $60 million was raised as part of Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University.

As I think about individuals who have had such profound effects on Washington University, I can think of very few who have had the impact that Ralph has had on this place.”

— Andrew D. Martin

Quatrano joined Washington University in 1998 as chair of the nationally regarded Department of Biology and the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences. From 2005-07 he was director of the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences, a university-wide interdisciplinary doctoral program including medical, engineering and basic science disciplines. He also was interim dean of Arts & Sciences from 2008-09.

Quatrano earned a bachelor's degree in plant science with honors from Colgate University in 1962; a master's in plant science from Ohio University, Athens, in 1964; and a doctorate in biology from Yale University in 1968. He was a faculty member at Oregon State University, Corvallis, then moved to DuPont in Wilmington, Del., where he was research manager in molecular biology for the next three years. He left DuPont in 1989 to become the first John N. Couch Professor of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as chair of the Department of Biology at UNC from 1992-97 before joining WashU as chair of the Department of Biology and the Spencer T. Olin Professor of Biology.