FAU Names Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D. as University Provost
Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University has named Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D. as its provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective July 1.
Danilowicz served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University since 2012. Prior to this position, he was dean of the College of Science and Technology at Georgia Southern University from 2006-12. He also has held a faculty position at University College Dublin in Ireland.
“Dr. Danilowicz is a tremendous addition to FAU,” said FAU President John Kelly. “The university certainly will benefit from his proven energy and his innovative and forward-thinking nature as we continue our Race to Excellence. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Danilowicz on FAU’s executive leadership team.”
As leader of FAU’s Division of Academic Affairs, Danilowicz will oversee FAU’s 10 colleges and more than 180 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels for more than 30,000 students. Related areas, such as the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the University Registrar, the University Libraries, the Office of Information Technology, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, also come under the division’s umbrella.
“Florida Atlantic has made remarkable advances in its research and teaching mission in recent years,” said Danilowicz. “I am simply delighted to be joining FAU at this time, and I look forward to facilitating the success of faculty and students across all six of the university’s sites and campuses.”
Danilowicz earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University; an M.B.A. from Georgia Southern University; an M.A. in education: leadership and management from The Open University in the United Kingdom; and a B.S. in biology with a minor in computer science from Utica College of Syracuse University.
Danilowicz replaces Gary Perry, Ph.D. who served for nearly four years as university provost and vice president for academic affairs at FAU. Under his leadership, FAU improved its standing in the state performance funding model, in which the university rocketed to the top of the rankings and sustained its success. Perry also brought to fruition the vision for a STEM campus in Jupiter, which is now a thriving life sciences research hub that boasts a combined total of $75 million in federal funding with partners Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
Prior to assuming the role of provost, Perry served for seven years as dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and, before that, interim dean of graduate studies for the university. Perry joined FAU in 1989 as an associate professor of neuroscience and has held several other leadership positions at FAU, including the roles of senior associate dean for research and graduate studies and acting associate dean and chair of the biomedical science program in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Perry played an integral role in transitioning FAU’s biomedical sciences program to an independent medical school that has achieved full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
“Dr. Gary Perry has dedicated his professional life to Florida Atlantic University, and I am tremendously grateful for the role he has played to help transform FAU into the nation’s fastest improving university,” Kelly said. “Without his hard work and dedication, the university would not have made such remarkable progress in such a short space of time.”
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