Dr. Gary Perry, courtesy FAU.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — As the somewhat unofficial restructuring continues at FAU, the University this morning announced the appointment of a new “Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer.”
From Florida Atlantic:
Florida Atlantic University has named Gary W. Perry, Ph.D., interim provost and chief academic officer, effective Monday, Aug. 26. Perry, who served seven years as dean of FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, has spent nearly a quarter century on the University’s faculty. He will have full responsibility for all duties associated with the provost’s office, directing the development and delivery of all academic programs while overseeing the Division of Academic Affairs’ budget and personnel.
“Dr. Perry has demonstrated his commitment to Florida Atlantic University and is an accomplished academic administrator who has overseen the tremendous growth of our Charles E. Schmidt College of Science,” said Dennis J. Crudele, FAU’s interim president. “His intimate knowledge of the University and proven leadership abilities will help continue FAU’s rapid development as a center of cutting-edge research. I look forward to working closely with him on FAU’s senior leadership team.”
The Division of Academic Affairs comprises 10 colleges that deliver more than 180 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Related areas, such as the University Libraries and the Lifelong Learning Society, also fall under the division’s umbrella. Perry will be in charge of advancing FAU’s overall educational mission.
“I am extremely excited and welcome the opportunity to lead FAU’s distinguished faculty as interim provost,” said Perry, who holds the rank of professor of neuroscience and has taught extensively on the graduate and undergraduate levels at FAU. “I hope to work with my colleagues, the administration and all of our stakeholders to further FAU’s development as a first-rate, first-choice university.”
During Perry’s tenure as dean of science from 2006-13, enrollment in science programs increased significantly as the college grew to become FAU’s second-largest with approximately 5,500 students. Additionally, with approval of the Ph.D. program in Geosciences in 2009, the college became a fully doctoral college offering the most Ph.D. programs at the University and currently awards the highest number of Ph.D. degrees each year. The college has collaboration agreements in place with research giants such as the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.
Prior to assuming the role of dean, Perry had served as interim dean for graduate studies, providing leadership in establishing the appropriate organizational structure and operational procedures necessary to enhance graduate education at FAU. This included graduate admissions, enrollment and progression, financial support, and graduate programs and policies, while formalizing a University Graduate Council and a Graduate Faculty at FAU.
Perry joined FAU in 1989 as an associate professor of neuroscience and has held several other leadership positions at the University during the past 23 years, including the roles of senior associate dean for research and graduate studies in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, acting director of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences and acting associate dean and chair for the biomedical science program.
Perry is a graduate of the University of London and earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He previously held research faculty appointments at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine before joining FAU.
