02/16/15
The national search to fill a key position at Fort Hays State University has culminated in the selection of a provost whose wide experience has taken him from his native Ireland to England and to stops in New York, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Dr. Graham Glynn, at present the vice provost and executive dean of college wide programs at Mercy College in New York City, will take over as provost at Fort Hays State on June 1.

FHSU is organized into four divisions: Academic Affairs; Administration and Finance; Information Technology; and Student Affairs. The provost, as chief academic officer, leads the Division of Academic Affairs. Dr. Larry Gould stepped down as provost in October 2013 to return to the classroom. Dr. Chris Crawford, who had served as assistant provost for 10 years, filled in as interim provost while the national search was underway.

In making the announcement today, Dr. Mirta M. Martin said the search committee sought a visionary academic leader who would enhance Fort Hays State's stature as an innovative university that supports its current exceptional faculty and attracts new faculty of excellence. "As one of the four vice presidents, Dr. Glynn becomes a key player in developing the academic programs of distinction that make Fort Hays State a destination of choice," President Martin said. "Graham brings a breadth and depth of experience that will be invaluable as we move through the process of re-engineering our university to create better efficiencies so that we can better serve our students. I am just thrilled to be able to welcome Graham and his family to the Tiger family. I know he will be a great fit."

Glynn, who has a doctorate in neuroscience, has extensive experience in technology and the delivery of education at a distance, which is a widely recognized strength of Fort Hays State and its Virtual College. At Mercy College, he helped restructure the educational assessment process to improve student success and retention. He is an entrepreneur who started and ran his own software business that developed and sold a personal knowledge management application in 27 countries. At Creighton University, he initiated the online school of pharmacy, which nearly doubled enrollment and was the first online school of pharmacy in the world. With his family, Glynn has hosted international students from Africa, Europe, Korea, Japan, China and South America.

"I am very excited and honored to be joining the Tiger family and want to thank President Martin, the search committee and the campus community for their faith in me," Glynn said. "Fort Hays State is a very special institution with a can-do attitude that embraces innovation. I had the opportunity to walk through many of the campus buildings the day after my official interview and was very impressed by the level of engagement and energy I saw between the faculty, staff and students. I look forward to working with and getting to know everyone."

Dr. Mark Bannister, chair of the search committee and dean of FHSU's College of Business and Entrepreneurship, said today: "The Provost Search Committee was very pleased by the depth of the candidate pool. FHSU attracted strong candidates from across the nation who had a variety of strengths and experiences. We were impressed by the candidates who visited campus and had confidence President Martin would have a quality pool to select from. I am excited about Dr. Glynn. He impressed the committee as a visionary."

In addition to Bannister, the members of the search committee are Dr. Paul Faber, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Deborah Ludwig, dean of Forsyth Library; Brenda Hoopingarner, chair of the Department of Allied Health; Dr. Michael Meade, associate professor of English; Dr. Eric Deyo, assistant professor of physics and president of the Faculty Senate; Linn Ann Huntington, professor of communication studies and president of the FHSU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors; Arin Powers, a Woodward, Okla., junior and president of the Student Government Association; Dr. Keegan Nichols, assistant vice president for student affairs; DeBra Prideaux, director of governmental relations and the FHSU Alumni Association; and Matt Means, assistant professor of music and theatre and director of the Honors College.

Prior to becoming vice provost at Mercy College, Glynn was assistant provost and executive director of teaching, learning and technology at Stony Brook University in the state of New York from 2006 to 2011; director of the Royer Center for Learning and Academic Technologies at Penn State University in State College from 2003 to 2006; director of the Office of Information Technology and Learning Resources at the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions in Omaha from 1999 to 2003; a visiting professor at the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, from April through June of 1999; an associate professor and coordinator of distance learning systems at Creighton from 1997 to 1999; an assistant professor of pharmacology at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Mich., from 1993 to 1997; and a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Neuro-Pharmacology at Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research (now Pfizer) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Glynn earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience in 1990 from the N.E. Ohio Universities College of Medicine/Kent State University in Rootstown and a Bachelor of Science Degree in pharmacology and biochemistry in 1985 from the University College Dublin in Ireland. He also earned a Certificate in Business Administration in 2003 from Creighton University, a Certificate in Foundations of Effective Management in 2001 from Creighton and a Certificate in Multimedia and Internet Technology in 1996 from the University of Texas at Austin. He has published and lectured widely.