- Florida Atlantic University announced Valery Forbes as the new Dean of its College of Science
- The College of Science is the university’s second largest college, educating more than 8,000 students and facilitating over a dozen research subject topics
- Forbes boasts an extensive line of experience in domestic and international education leadership
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) announced Valery Forbes, Ph.D., as its new dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, effective August 10. Forbes holds more than twenty-five years of experience as a researcher and academic leader with international experience.
According to FAU, Forbes oversaw a $100 million budget as the former dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN), established partnerships with business and government, increased enrollments while upholding strict admissions standards, and founded a Dean’s Undergraduate Research Program.
Additionally, Forbes was successful in advocating for UMN to join the University of California Partnership for Faculty Diversity, a pipeline initiative designed to draw diverse, high-quality postdocs and facilitate a transition to tenure-track faculty.
“The university is incredibly proud to welcome such an accomplished leader like Valery,” said Michele Hawkins, Ph.D., interim FAU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We look forward to seeing how she will build on the existing strengths of the college.”
In her capacity as dean at UMN, Forbes oversaw significant capital projects, such as the creation of a $110 million biomanufacturing innovation center to expand the college’s presence in biotechnology and generate new income. Forbes exceeded the goal set in student scholarship funding as part of UMN’s most recent charitable drive, exceeding her college’s fundraising target one calender year ahead of schedule.
“As one of the largest colleges at FAU, it is essential that we not only have strong researchers but that we have research leaders who want to create synergistic partnerships across FAU and beyond,” Forbes said. “As the dean, I plan to help faculty attract larger, multi-partner grants and projects, reduce administrative barriers for faculty to lead major collaborative research efforts, institute seed funding, and provide increased opportunities for faculty to step up and allow them to lead high-impact research initiatives in our areas of strength.”
Prior to her time at UMN, Forbes directed the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, also serving as Roskilde University in Denmark’s Department of Environmental, Social, and Spatial Change’s first department head and professor.
“My research has been extremely international, and I envision establishing greater international partnerships and reinforcing current relationships with renowned research partners, such as the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience,” Forbes said. “We have the only Max Planck Institute in North America in our backyard, that is certainly a feather in our cap and should be nurtured.”