Florida State University has named Michael Delp dean of the College of Human Sciences. Delp, currently chair of the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida, will lead Florida State’s fourth largest college, which is composed of multidisciplinary academic units that address the health and development of individuals, families and communities.
The College of Human Sciences is one of the largest colleges of its kind in the nation and the only comprehensive human sciences unit in Florida. It has consistently been ranked one of the top 10 programs in human sciences nationally in terms of graduate and undergraduate enrollment, degrees granted, contracts and grants, program costs, numbers of professorships and total endowments.
The college offers 12 undergraduate majors, masters and doctoral programs in three academic departments:Family and Child Sciences (FCS); Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences (NFES); and Retail Merchandising and Product Development (RMPD), which are taught by more than 40 faculty. Several breakthrough research projects have contributed to the college’s legacy.
“I am thrilled and honored to be joining a college with such an outstanding group of faculty, students, staff and alumni,” Delp said. “It is especially exciting to be coming at a time when Florida State is newly designated as one of the state’s pre-eminent universities. I look forward to working with the College of Human Sciences and its faculty to help achieve President Barron’s goal of advancing Florida State to a top 25 national ranking among public universities.”
Delp will succeed Billie Collier, who will retire after having served as dean of the college since 2006.
“Our College of Human Sciences has built a legacy of excellence and innovation,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Garnett S. Stokes. “Dr. Delp, a highly regarded scholar in the field of cardiovascular health and fitness, will be an inspiring leader as the college continues to conduct cutting-edge research and meet increasing demands for graduates who are fully prepared to work in the human sciences.”
An accomplished researcher, author and professor, Delp is nationally recognized for his research in the effects of physical activity associated with aging, space flight and diseases such as diabetes on the cardiovascular system.
After graduate work at the University of Georgia, where he earned a doctorate in exercise physiology and a Master of Arts degree in exercise physiology, Delp served as the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Konstanz in Konstanz, Germany, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Missouri. Prior to his role at the University of Florida, Delp served as a professor and vice chair in the Division of Exercise Physiology at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and a faculty member in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Delp earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Oral Roberts University.
Mary Ann Moore, currently the associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Human Sciences, will serve as interim dean until Delp’s arrival in March 2014.