DePauw Stories

DePauw University joins the Greencastle community in mourning the loss of Rick Provine, emeritus dean of libraries. He was a talented artist, a local servant and a cherished member of the DePauw community. He passed away on August 21 at the age of 67.

Provine began his career at the University of Virginia, where he pioneered several initiatives to develop the university’s media services. After arriving at DePauw in 2000, Provine continued to demonstrate visionary leadership until his retirement in 2022. In his most recent role as dean of libraries, he guided an extraordinary renovation of Roy O. West Library. Beyond DePauw, he also served in numerous leadership roles in his field, including serving as the president of the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) and the chair of the Video Round Table for the American Library Association, the Association of College Research Library (ACRL) Media Resources Committee and the ACRL Arts Film and Broadcast Studies Group.

“Rick was a colleague and friend who served DePauw and his profession with distinction throughout his career” says Dave Berque, DePauw’s vice president for academic affairs. “His dedication to supporting student learning and faculty scholarship leaves a lasting impact on our campus community. While Rick’s impact was broad, it is felt most strongly through the steady and collaborative leadership of the recent Roy O. West Library renovation, which transformed the space into a reimagined academic heart of DePauw. Generations of students, faculty, staff and community members will benefit from his multi-year commitment to this project.”

Beyond DePauw’s campus, Provine led a life of devoted community service and rich artistic expression. In addition to serving as a member of the Greencastle Arts Council board and as the president of the Putnam County Museum board, he was also an avid musician and recording artist. Often, his musical contributions served DePauw and Greencastle community members simultaneously.

Steve Snyder, Siegesmund Professor of Music and coordinator of the local series Jazz at the Duck, says, "Rick was an essential part of the music community at DePauw and beyond. He was the regular drummer for the monthly jam sessions at Jazz at The Duck, and his (and his fellow bandmates') selfless contributions made the series possible. The more students who played at the sessions, the happier Rick was, and it was a joy to see his love of music and his desire to pass this joy on. I will miss Rick's company on and off the bandstand."

Provine also played in several genre-defying bands for two decades alongside Bill Hamm ’73 and Veronica Pejril, director of Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) and adjunct assistant professor of music. “Over those years, we developed a powerful sense of listening to and anticipating each others' next moves,” says Pejril. “Rick was never keen to play elaborate drum solos; instead, he was most comfortable helping lift others up to shine in their moments. This too describes Rick Provine away from the stage: we all shine brighter for having stood in Rick's light.”

Provine’s personal, professional and musical contributions will be missed by many in the DePauw and Greencastle communities, which he helped weave together seamlessly.