SIU Board Confirms Parviz Ansari as SIUE Provost
Edwardsville, IL (PRWEB) May 09, 2014 -- The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees today confirmed Dr. Parviz Ansari (Pair-VEEZ An-SAR-ee) as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Edwardsville campus. The board approved the appointment at its regularly scheduled May meeting at SIUE’s Morris University Center.
“Dr. Anne Perry and the search committee did an excellent job of identifying highly qualified candidates,” said SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe. “Dr. Ansari brings a wealth of experience in program development, comprehensive strategic planning and health sciences curriculum. We look forward to his contributions as we strategize and implement the next phase toward advancing SIUE.”
Ansari arrives at SIUE after serving as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) since 2012 at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. He was also the founding dean of Rowan’s School of Biomedical Sciences. Rowan is a comprehensive public research institution located in southern N.J. serving more than 14,000 students on three campuses.
"SIUE is a wonderful student-centered university with excellent programs, dedicated faculty and staff, and visionary leadership,” Ansari said. “I am thrilled to join them and collaborate with them to advance the mission of the University.”
As dean of Rowan’s CSM, he managed seven departments that included 3,100 majors, 16 undergraduate degree programs, eight graduate degree programs and 305 faculty. He also served as a physics professor.
Ansari first landed at Rowan as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2009. He oversaw 14 departments that included 5,500 majors, 31 undergraduate degree programs, 10 graduate degree programs and more than 400 faculty.
As dean, Ansari initiated and spearheaded the development of comprehensive strategic plans in 2009 and 2012. Focusing on academic excellence in a student-centered model, he:
• Upgraded the college academic policies and procedures
• Enhanced grants and research activities
• Initiated new graduate and undergraduate programs
• Focused on interdisciplinary education
• Strategized the future growth of his college through open dialogue and shared governance.
• Saw college enrollment increase by 68 percent from 2009 to 2013
• Saw his internationalization initiative add six agreements with international institutions
• Increased international enrollment 10 fold since 2010
• Generated approximately $8.5 million in grants and contracts including $1.2 million in research funds through international initiative
Before moving to Rowan, Ansari served Seton Hall (N.J.) University in a variety of capacities from 1983-2009. He was the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2006-09, which included managing 14 departments, 2,000 majors and 200 faculty. During that time, he oversaw academic administration and outreach from 2006-08, and academic affairs and planning from 2008-09.
He was acting chair of SHU’s Department of Physics from 1998-89 before eventually taking over as department chair from 1994-2005.
He began his academic career in 1982 as a visiting assistant professor of physics at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
Perry, interim dean of the SIUE School of Nursing, led the search committee. “I’d like to thank the members of our search committee for their hard work and everyone who participated in the various meetings and open sessions on campus,” she said.
Ansari is an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow and a Lead New Jersey Fellow. He is an active member of several state and national organizations including New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences. He is a founding member of New Jersey Big Data Alliance and serves as an executive board member of the ACE Council of Fellows.
Ansari earned a bachelor’s in physics from Pahlavi (Shiraz) University in 1976. He achieved both a master’s and a doctorate in physics and astronomy from Tufts University in 1978 and ’83, respectively.
Ansari succeeds Dr. Ann Boyle, who has served as SIUE’s interim provost for the past three years. She is the former dean of the SIU School of Dental Medicine.
For more on Ansari, visit http://www.siue.edu/provost.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.
-SIUE-
Photo: Dr. Parviz Ansari, SIUE provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Doug McIlhagga, Southern IL University Edwardsville, http://www.siue.edu, +1 (618) 650-5600, [email protected]
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