Florida State University Provost Jim Clark has named College of Education Dean Damon Andrew interim dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. The appointment will begin July 1.
Andrew, who will continue to serve in his role at the College of Education, succeeds Michael Delp who announced last year that he planned to step down as dean in 2022 and return to the faculty.
“We are incredibly grateful for Dean Delp’s service to the College of Health and Human Sciences, particularly in growing the college’s research portfolio,” Clark said. “As we move into the future, I’m thankful that Dean Andrew has agreed to take on these additional duties with such enthusiasm and grace. He will be a great asset to our faculty in the college.”
Delp came to FSU in 2014. Over the past eight years, he substantially increased research expenditures at the college. In the past five years, the college has spent $10.6 million on original research and received more than $16 million in funding through grants. He also oversaw a rebranding of the college to better reflect the mission of the departments and align with the overall mission of FSU.
Andrew became dean of the College of Education in 2018. Since his appointment, he has led the college to unprecedented success, including an all-time high placement on the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Program” 2023 ranking (No. 17 among public universities, No. 26 overall). He also launched Project ElevatED, an initiative that recognizes and supports current educators while preparing future educators for more meaningful careers.
“I am tremendously excited and humbled to be asked to serve as interim dean for the College of Health and Human Sciences,” Andrew said. “The college’s faculty have long produced outstanding research and consistently receive accolades from their peers and students for their teaching ability. I am eager to support their work and help them continue to excel.”
Prior to joining FSU, Andrew served as Louisiana State University’s first permanent dean of the College of Human Sciences and Education, which brought together a wide range of disciplines under one college. Before that, he also held the position of dean at Troy University’s College of Health and Human Services. Andrew has served on the board of directors for the American Kinesiology Association and as a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education.
Beyond his professional experience, Andrew has a personal connection to the College of Health and Human Sciences. During his doctoral studies in the FSU sport management program, Andrew served as an academic adviser for the Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology (then called Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences). He earned his doctorate from FSU in 2004.
“It has been one of the great privileges of my career to work with faculty members across a variety of disciplines,” Andrew said. “Because of that experience, I try to help faculty members not only grow professionally, but also encourage them to look outside of their areas of expertise to build interdisciplinary connections. Collaboration strengthens our entire academic community and elevates everyone involved, and hopefully in my unique position, I can help foster that growth.”
One of the oldest colleges at Florida State University, the College of Health and Human Sciences was founded in 1905 to address global challenges and opportunities related to the physical, behavioral and economic factors influencing the health and development of individuals, families, and communities. Today, the college is home to the departments of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology and Human Development & Family Science.