I am pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Berry has accepted the position of Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School effective July 1.
After a competitive internal search, Dr. Berry was selected to lead our efforts in fulfilling our research mission and enhancing graduate studies at UA Little Rock. Dr. Berry has a wide range of experience in both research and graduate education that has prepared him well for his new role.
Brian has served as Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Chemistry, Director of the interdisciplinary Applied Science Program, and Chair of the Faculty Senate’s Graduate Council. In research, he has been a principal investigator or co-PI on a number of sponsored research projects totaling nearly $1.5 million. His administrative experience beyond these roles includes three years as Chair of the Department of Chemistry where he led his faculty in several student success initiatives while continuing to mentor many students who have since become accomplished scientists and educators.
Over the last several years, Dr. Berry has also been very active in critical institutional level initiatives. These include serving first as a member and then as the faculty co-chair of the Higher Learning Commission Steering Team (our institutional accreditation leaders), serving as a member and now co-chair of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and previously serving as a member of the Strategic Planning Task Force, the Faculty Workload Task Force, and the Task Force on Program Coordination. These experiences have given Brian a deep insight into higher education issues in general, and the importance of mission-based planning in particular.
Dr. Berry received his Ph.D. in Applied Science/Chemistry from UA Little Rock and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, also from UA Little Rock. He completed a postdoc at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a National Research Council postdoc fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) before returning to UA Little Rock as an assistant professor in 2008. Dr. Berry has 28 publications in well-respected peer-reviewed journals, and he won the UA Little Rock Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching in 2014.
I am confident that Dr. Berry’s broad experience in research and graduate studies, combined with his comprehensive institutional perspective, will enable him to provide excellent leadership as our new Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. Please join me in congratulating Brian on his appointment.
Christy Drale
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
