Lee Willard, who served as an administrator at Duke University for 37 years, died on March 28. She was 71 years old and had suffered from brain cancer.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Williard was a graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in classics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Early in her career, Dr. Willard taught at the University of Massachusetts and the University of Maryland. At Duke University, she served Trinity College under the leadership of 10 deans as assistant dean, associate dean, senior associate dean, and associate vice provost of undergraduate education.
In 2015, Dr. Willard received the Samuel DuBois Cook Society Award for her work and its impact on minority students. She served as a student advisor throughout her tenure at Duke and received the Award for Excellence in Advising in 2016 before her retirement.