G. Wayne Clough

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G. Wayne Clough : biography

24 September 1941 –

Gerald Wayne Clough (born September 24, 1941) is President Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he has held since July 2008. A graduate of Georgia Tech in civil engineering, he was the first alumnus to serve as President of the Institute.

Clough was president of Georgia Tech from 1994 to 2008, when he oversaw dramatic changes in the institute, including $1 billion in new construction, increased retention and graduation rates, a higher nationwide ranking and a much larger student body. His administration championed programs which encouraged undergraduate research, offered international experiences, and made college more affordable for low-income students.

The Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, which officially opened its doors in August 2011, is named in his honor. Clough has garnered many other awards and honors, including the title of President Emeritus, two Norman Medals, eight honorary degrees, and membership in the National Science Board.

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

On January 1, 2008, the Smithsonian named a search committee for the position of Secretary. Clough’s primary competition for the position was Acting Secretary Cristián Samper, who had replaced Secretary Lawrence M. Small after Small’s resignation in 2007. The Smithsonian’s board of regents, whose duties include electing the Smithsonian’s secretary, took at least two votes in the Lawyers’ Lounge at the U.S. Supreme Court to arrive at their decision.

Clough was elected the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; he was notified via a phone call with regents chairman Roger W. Sant on the afternoon of March 14, 2008. This decision was announced publicly at a press conference held at the Smithsonian Castle on March 15, 2008. Clough assumed office on July 1, 2008 and was officially installed in an academic ceremony on January 26, 2009. His starting salary as Secretary was $490,000, a pay cut from his final compensation package at Georgia Tech ($551,186) and significantly lower than his predecessor, Lawrence Small’s annual salary of $900,000.

Since Clough assumed office, he has made plans to digitize the Museum’s collections, and offer more intensive K-12 educational programming. In November 2008, for the first time, the Smithsonian opened a board meeting to the public. Clough has made efforts to improve the Smithsonian’s facilities and long-term planning, as well as plans to reorganize and cut back on staff and budget. In February 2012, Clough’s travel expenses were probed by senator Charles E. Grassley, despite increased controls; Clough’s travel must be approved by the Smithsonian’s chief financial officer as part of the reforms enacted in the wake of alleged abuses by Secretary Small.

On November 30, 2010, Secretary Clough made the decision to remove the David Wojnarowicz video "A Fire in My Belly" from the National Portrait Gallery’s "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" exhibition. The video artwork was perceived by some to be anti-Christian and Clough believed it detracted from the entirety of the exhibition, which he said was "to be a powerful exhibit about the contributions of gay and lesbian artists" and not about "religious iconography" and "desecration". This decision was widely criticized, but Clough responded that he was protecting the Smithsonian’s larger educational mission. After the controversy, the Smithsonian’s board of regents appointed an outside panel to examine the decision to remove the work from the exhibition; the panel recommended that art not be removed from shows that have already opened.

Research

After earning his doctorate, Clough began his academic career as an assistant professor at Duke University in 1969. He joined the faculty at Stanford University in 1974 first as an associate professor and then later as full professor. In 1982, he joined the faculty of Virginia Tech as a professor of civil engineering and served as head of their Department of Civil Engineering for seven years. In 1990, Clough became dean of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. Clough continued his research and instruction of graduate students at Virginia Tech in addition to his administrative responsibilities. Clough’s research focused on geotechnical engineering, including earthquake studies, numerical analysis, soil structure interaction, in-situ testing, and underground openings. In 1993, he became provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Washington. Clough cofounded the United States Universities Council of Geotechnical Engineering Research (USUCGER), and served as the organization’s first president during 1993.–>