ORANGE : Chapman Gets No. 2 Man From N.Y.

Chapman College officials announced Monday that Harry L. Hamilton Jr., an associate professor at State University of New York at Albany, has been appointed to the newly created position of senior vice president and provost.

Hamilton’s appointment, effective Aug. 1, makes him the second-highest ranking administrator at Chapman and the highest-ranking black administrator in the college’s 129-year history, said spokeswoman Pamela Ezell.

Hamilton, 51, will be in charge of the college’s academic and student-life programs, as well as its off-campus education program, which spans 54 satellite learning centers across the United States and the Pacific Rim.

“I view Chapman College as a vibrant institution that is poised to make a significant impact on education in Southern California,” Hamilton said in a prepared statement.

He said he hopes to formulate new liberal-arts and professional programs to create “a fresh approach” to the educational challenges of the 1990s.

“We are honored that Dr. Hamilton has accepted this important leadership position,” Chapman President Allen E. Koenig said. “His qualifications, academic expertise, character and vision make him an excellent addition to Chapman’s administration.”

Hamilton is an associate professor of atmospheric science at SUNY Albany. Since 1965, he has held various faculty and administrative positions there, including dean of undergraduate studies and associate vice president for academic affairs. During a two-year leave from SUNY, he served as an atmospheric research specialist with General Electric.

Hamilton has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Beloit College, where he is now a trustee. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin.

Hamilton has taught atmospheric science at the graduate and undergraduate levels and has received research grants from many organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

He is past president of the Albany branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and past director of Albany’s YMCA and Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife, Sherrie Fowlkes, a clinical psychologist, have two adult children.