Henry C. “Hank” Foley, Ph.D., president of New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), today announced the appointment of Junius J. Gonzales, M.D., as the university’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective June 4. Gonzales’ background includes high-level leadership roles across academia, government, and the private sector. Since January 2015, he has been serving as senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina (UNC) System. He also served as interim president of the system from January through March 2016.
The selection of Gonzales, 58, follows a national search for the successor to Rahmat Shoureshi, Ph.D., who became president of Portland State University in August 2017. Lou Reinisch, Ph.D., NYIT associate provost, has been serving as interim provost since that time.
“Junius Gonzales’ qualifications and his breadth of experience in pedagogy, research, securing funding, and higher education administration at some of the nation’s most reputable universities will be integral in helping us take NYIT to the next level,” said Foley. “His scientific and data-driven approach will be a welcome addition to our university’s leadership and to our 389 full-time and 556 part-time faculty around the world. I look forward to having him by my side as we re-energize teaching and scholarship and re-evaluate our existing way of doing business while focusing on providing a first-class technology-infused, career-focused experience to our students."
This week, NYIT is hosting a series of events commemorating the inauguration of President Foley, primarily focused on scholarly research, technology, and community service. Foley officially will be installed as NYIT’s fourth president later today; he started in the role on June 1, 2017.
Gonzales, who is Foley’s most senior hire in his first 10 months as NYIT president, is joining the institution at a time of great change in its 63-year history. Under Foley’s leadership, NYIT is establishing a new university-wide “maker/doer” culture to foster invention, innovation, and collaboration to make it one of the top universities in the New York metropolitan area, as part of its longstanding goal to prepare and graduate students poised to seize opportunities in a global marketplace. Foley is also committed to building NYIT’s reputation and to increasing academic research and scholarship.
According to Foley, immediate priorities for Gonzales as provost include supporting efforts to optimize operations of NYIT’s seven schools and colleges, helping to drive efforts to enhance recruitment and retention of high-caliber students, maximizing research funding, and advancing faculty engagement across the academic spectrum.
“I believe NYIT’s mission is truly defined by its focused commitment to learning and knowledge creation to better society in critical workforce areas and to enhance the opportunity for mobility and economic impact,” Gonzales said. “As the first-generation son of Hispanic immigrants, I strive to give back and am dedicated to furthering the impact of education on individuals and communities. I have experienced the power of education and appreciate NYIT’s student-centered philosophy and approach,” he added.
As the UNC System's top academic officer, Gonzales is responsible for overseeing academic planning and budgeting, student affairs, sponsored programs and research, faculty support, licensure and institutional research and analysis.
Gonzales earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, an M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. A psychiatrist by training, he completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. Prior to joining the UNC System, Gonzales served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at El Paso. He previously held senior academic and administrative posts at the University of South Florida and Georgetown University. In addition, he has held leadership positions at the National Institute of Mental Health and served as a principal investigator for Cambridge-based Abt Associates, one of the world’s 25 top-ranked research firms.
Throughout his career, Gonzales has secured more than $15 million in external funding as a principal or senior investigator. He has served on a number of national advisory panels and review teams for the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine.
A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 10,000 students in programs and campuses in New York (Manhattan and Old Westbury, Long Island) and Arkansas as well as China, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. NYIT sponsors 13 NCAA Division II programs. NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, more than 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
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