Iowa State Vice Provost for Research Patricia Swan will take a one-year administrative leave on Jan. 1 in order to pursue writing opportunities at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Swan, dean of the Graduate College, will be assigned to the Eskind Biomedical Library Special Collections Department.

“They have an important collection of books and related materials that can be used to understand the history of biomedical science,” she said.

Specifically, Swan will be writing on the history of nutritional biochemistry.

“The writing of the history of science has been a longtime interest, and I’ve been able to do a little as vice president,” she said. “The leave will allow me to focus more on it.”

Swan first became familiar with the Vanderbilt library through a professional society.

Swan has been a part of the ISU faculty for over 10 years. Her duties have included overseeing research and graduate programs and coordinating technology transfer programs.

“I’ve enjoyed the 10 years in this position,” Swan said. “I’ve had an opportunity to work with many good and talented people, and I will miss working with them.”

“I will miss her as a colleague and a leader,” said Ted Okiishi, associate dean for research and outreach in the College of Engineering. “She has been helpful to many of our faculty and graduate students.”

Swan will be retiring from her administrative duties at the end of the fall semester, but plans to return to ISU in January of 2001.

“I plan to write the history of the Iowa State University Research Foundation. I will come back to ISU for at least another year to complete the history,” she said.

Swan will be joining her husband, James Swan, in Nashville. James Swan retired at the end of February from the ISU agronomy department.