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FVSU NAMES DR. GREGORY FORD DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Posted on Aug 01, 2018

Fort Valley, GA"” Fort Valley State University today announced the appointment of Dr. Gregory Ford as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Ford comes to FVSU from Georgia Highlands College (GHC) where he served as dean of the Division of Natural Science and Physical Education.

"I am delighted for a scholar and transformational leader such as Dr. Ford to join our team this fall," said Dr. T. Ramon Stuart, provost & vice president for academic affairs. "His passion for student success and ability to inspire faculty and staff is evident. I am confident his exceptional skill set is exactly what we need as we elevate the College of Arts and Sciences to exciting, new levels."

At Georgia Highlands College, Ford was responsible for programming and instruction on five campuses and two satellite instructional sites servicing more than 6,000 students. He oversaw a $3,000,000 annual budget, 60 faculty and staff members, and laboratory facilities. Ford has been central to several campus-wide initiatives including a recent decennial reaffirmation review by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges (SACSCOC) which resulted in reaffirmation; a Gateway to Completion program in which he served as a liaison; and the University of System of Georgia's Momentum Year program.

"The key to success for students is for them to start on track, stay on track, be active in the community, and develop the soft skills employers value," said Ford.

Ford's scholarly research includes characterization of the neuroprotective effect of the neuregulin-1 protein for treatment of ischemic stroke. For the last 14 years, he has worked with his brother, Dr. Byron Ford, to develop Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) as a therapeutic for stroke and other acute brain injuries associated with a secondary injury mediated through inflammation and been published extensively on the subject. Ford is also an entrepreneur, serving as a principle in two biotechnology startup companies, Brain-Gen, LLC and ProneuRx, LLC, which were formed to develop and commercialize NRG-1 to treat injury and disease caused by neuroinflammation.

At GHC, Ford help remove financial barriers for students by leading a transition from the use of traditional textbooks and ancillary materials to the incorporation of Open Educational Resource (OER) materials, using over $200,000 in Affordable Learning Grants to transform 15 courses and saving over $1,000,000 for GHC students. This initiative helped significantly reduce instances of students withdrawing from courses or receiving D or F grades. The most significant reductions occurred in anatomy and physiology courses, where D, F, or withdrawal instances fell from 61% to 32% in four semesters. Ford has also served as a content expert and consultant on three Department of Education Math Science Partnership grants totaling over $2,000,000 which support K-8 science, technology, engineering, and math teachers across and Metro Atlanta and northwest Georgia.

Ford earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Grambling State University and a doctorate in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the American Psychological Association Neuroscience Program at Morehouse School of Medicine. Ford also served on the faculty at Morehouse College. He is a graduate of Leadership Rome XXXIV, a member of Rome-Floyd Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, a member of the Paulding County School College and Career Academy Planning Committee, and served on the Bartow County School Strategic Planning Committee.

Media inquiries

Contact:

Teresa Southern

Phone: (478) 822-7589

Email: southernt@fvsu.edu

About Fort Valley State University

Founded in 1895, Fort Valley State University, a University System of Georgia institution, is one of the nation's most innovative and affordable academic institutions. Leveraging its unique role as Georgia's only 1890 land-grant institution, the college conducts more science, technology, engineering and math federal research than any other public teaching college in the state, making curriculum-enhancing research opportunities available to students learning to be leaders in innovation. The university's undergraduate and graduate traditional and online degree programs enroll almost 3,000 students from all over the world. Named the most affordable online school in the nation for student economic mobility, the university has produced more African Americans with mathematics degrees than any other college in the nation in two of the past four years. FVSU students participate in more than 80 academic and civic organizations, honor societies and study abroad programs. The university is a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II League. Learn more by visiting www.FVSU.edu.

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