BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Florida Atlantic University has tapped Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., to serve as its next provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, the university announced. He will assume the role on Jan. 1, 2026, succeeding interim provost Russ Ivy, Ph.D.
As provost, Dawson-Scully will lead Florida Atlantic’s Division of Academic Affairs, overseeing 10 colleges and more than 170 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. His portfolio will span numerous academic disciplines serving more than 32,000 students across the university’s campuses.
Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner said the appointment follows a national search aimed at finding a leader who could pair academic strength with executive experience in a top-tier research setting. He said he was looking for “a provost who combined strong academic credentials with proven leadership in higher education, a deep understanding of the importance of supporting research within an R1 institution, experience in financial management and data driven decision-making, and who shared my vision for the university’s future.” After a nationwide search, Hasner said, “the most qualified candidate was right here at home,” and he described Dawson-Scully as a partner as FAU works “to accelerate our university’s ascent and continue driving toward even greater achievements.”
Hasner also thanked Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Dean Valery Forbes and the search committee for their work, saying their “thoroughness and insight” kept the university’s interests at the center of the process and helped identify “the most qualified leader to serve as our provost.”
Dawson-Scully comes to the post from Nova Southeastern University, where he has served since 2021 as associate provost and senior vice president for research. In that role, he leads NSU’s Division of Research and Economic Development, guiding research strategy, infrastructure, compliance, technology transfer, clinical research operations, and support for faculty and student research. NSU currently has more than $185 million in active research funding, and under his research leadership the university moved from R2 status to the Carnegie Classification of “R1: Very High Research Activity,” marking a significant jump in national research standing.
In a statement, Dawson-Scully called the FAU position “my dream job” and said he is “grateful for the opportunity to serve Florida Atlantic in this role at such an important moment for the university.” He said he looks forward to working with Hasner, the deans and faculty “to strengthen teaching, elevate academic excellence and the learning experience, continue our intense focus on student success, and expand the already strong ties between our programs and the region’s workforce, creating even more opportunities for our extraordinary students.”
The new provost is no stranger to FAU. Dawson-Scully spent 13 years at the university from 2008 to 2021, holding multiple leadership roles. As associate vice president for strategic initiatives from 2018 to 2021, he led efforts that significantly increased National Merit Scholar enrollment. At the same time, he served as head of institutional partnerships at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
Within FAU, his previous roles have included director of the FAU Max Planck Honors Program, associate dean of graduate studies in the College of Science, and associate director of the FAU Brain Institute, among other posts. Supporters of his appointment say that background gives him both institutional memory and a clear view of where the university is trying to go next.
Kim Dunn, Ph.D., a member of the Florida Board of Governors, former chair of Florida Atlantic’s Faculty Senate and a member of the provost search committee, said Hasner’s commitment to a “comprehensive national search” allowed the university to look at top academic talent around the country. From that group, she said, Dawson-Scully “emerged as a leader who could honor FAU’s past while boldly shaping its future.” Dunn described his experience, vision and knowledge of the institution as uniquely positioning him “to guide the university into its next chapter of excellence.”
Dawson-Scully is a Fellow of both the National Academy of Inventors and the Royal Entomological Society. He has published widely in leading scientific journals, with expertise in translational neuroscience, neuroprotective compounds, stress physiology and the commercialization of academic research. He earned his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Toronto’s College of Medicine.
Forbes, who chaired the search committee, said she was “delighted that we were able to attract a candidate of such a high caliber as Ken” and “excited to work with him moving forward.” She thanked those who nominated candidates, engaged with finalists on campus, and served on the committee for their “commitment and collaboration during this entire process.”
Dawson-Scully will follow Ivy, who has served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs during a period of transition and reform. During Ivy’s tenure in the interim role, Florida Atlantic was named a Top 100 Public University by U.S. News and World Report and achieved the Carnegie Classification of “R1: Very High Research Activity.” Ivy has also supervised the Center for Global Engagement, work that was recently recognized with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award in 2025.
Hasner thanked Ivy “for his leadership as interim provost and for guiding the university’s Academic Affairs division through a period of significant transition and reform,” saying Ivy has “played an important role in moving the university forward” and will continue supporting FAU’s efforts in the years ahead.
