UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean of the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS), has announced his decision to step down as dean, effective June 30. Kump, who has served as dean for nearly nine years and is celebrating 40 years of service to the college and University in 2026, will remain at Penn State as professor of geosciences on the College of EMS faculty after his deanship concludes.
“I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Lee on a remarkable tenure as dean,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Since 2017, he has guided the college with vision, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to the success of its students, faculty and staff. In recognition of his exemplary service and enduring legacy at Penn State and within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, I am pleased to announce the creation of the Lee Kump Presidential Award. This new award will recognize graduate student research excellence, in honor of Lee’s sustained contributions as an educator, researcher and administrator and the significant positive impact he has had on our institution and community.”
Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos said he will be seeking nominations from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences faculty in the coming days for the role of interim dean.
“It is only fitting that we should celebrate Lee with this new presidential award,” Sotiropoulos said. “While I have only worked with Lee for a short time, his love for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is palpable, and I know his impact and legacy will continue to live on in the college for many years to come. Lee has dedicated his professional life to the college, and as dean he has worked tirelessly to elevate the college’s academic profile, advance its research enterprise, and cultivate a strong and collaborative community that will continue to flourish long into the future. Through it all, Lee remains as passionate as ever about his teaching and research, and I wish him the absolute best as he returns his attention full time to his scholarly pursuits.”
Among the many highlights from Kump's tenure as dean:
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The Center for Energy Law and Policy was founded by the College of EMS and Penn State Dickinson Law in 2018, providing an innovative national model for how a major public research university can contribute to important energy law and policy issues through research, education and stakeholder engagement.
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The Center for Critical Minerals was established in 2019 to leverage Penn State’s existing faculty, facilities and research strengths in an effort to make the University the go-to resource for critical minerals research and technical support for industry.
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A $5 million gift from University philanthropist John Leone endowed the John Leone Dean’s Chair in the College of EMS, providing the dean of the college with discretionary funds to enhance student engagement opportunities outside the classroom; promote innovation and entrepreneurship; address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the STEM disciplines of EMS; and sustain and grow leadership in energy, materials and environmental education, research and outreach.
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The Office of Student Engagement was created in the Ryan Family Student Center to provide EMS undergraduates with the opportunity to participate in out-of-the-classroom experiences, including research, study abroad, community engagement and internships.
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Associate heads for diversity, equity and inclusion were established in all five of the college’s academic departments.
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The college achieved a record-breaking fundraising year in 2022, with more than $156 million raised to support students, faculty research and academic programs.
“It’s been my honor to serve as dean of the college and support its outstanding students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends,” Kump said. “As I step down, I carry with me immense gratitude and pride — for what we’ve accomplished together, and for all that lies ahead for this remarkable college."
Kump was officially appointed as the 17th dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences on July 21, 2017, after starting in the role in an interim capacity on June 1 of that year. A faculty member in the Department of Geosciences since 1986, Kump rose within the faculty ranks from assistant to associate professor before being promoted to professor of geosciences in 1997. He held several leadership roles within the department over the years, including associate head from 1994 to 2000 and department head from 2011 to 2017.
Throughout his career, Kump has championed research and education focused on understanding Earth’s systems and environmental change. He has taught a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses during his time at Penn State, including geochemistry, astrobiology, sedimentary geochemistry, marine biogeochemistry, and mathematical modeling.
His scientific work investigates the mechanisms that drive climate change over geologic time. His current research explores topics such as atmospheric oxygen levels, the dynamics of the sedimentary record, deep-time paleoclimate data assimilation, and the modeling of Earth’s dynamic systems.
His research collaborations have involved major organizations such as the U.S. National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. His work has been featured in science programming on outlets such as NOVA ScienceNow, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the History Channel.
In 2022, Kump was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He also is a fellow of several leading scientific societies, including the American Geophysical Union, Geochemical Society, European Association of Geochemistry, Geological Society of London, and the Geological Society of America.
Kump is the co-author of the book “Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change,” which explains key findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He also is the lead author of the widely used textbook “The Earth System” and a co-author of a textbook on numerical modeling. In addition, he has served as an editor or editorial board member for several major scientific journals, including Geology, Science, Nature Scientific Reports, Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and the Virtual Journal of Geobiology.
Among his many honors, Kump was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of South Florida and received the Robert M. Garrels Medal from the Geobiology Society, the Distinguished Service Award from the Geological Society of America, and both the Wilson Research Award and Faculty Mentoring Award from the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Kump earned his doctorate in marine sciences from the University of South Florida and a bachelor’s degree in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago.