John S. Toll, former president and chancellor of the University of Maryland, has been named acting president of Washington College in Chestertown while the school looks for a permanent replacement for President Charles H. Trout.
Dr. Toll, 71, a physicist, had led the university through a turbulent period from 1978 through 1989.
Since his retirement, he has kept a busy schedule teaching and consulting. Until Congress last year eliminated funding for the Superconducting Supercollider project in Texas, Dr. Toll had been president of the Universities Research Association, the manager of the project.
The Washington College post will be Dr. Toll's first at a private college. Prior to returning to the University of Maryland, where he TTC had been physics department head at the age of 29, Dr. Toll headed the State University of New York at Stony Brook for 13 years.
At the 212-year-old Washington College, Dr. Toll will replace Dr. Trout, who announced his resignation under pressure Aug. 26. The appointment begins Jan. 1, when Dr. Trout begins a sabbatical leave.