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Mark Riley, the dean of Florida State University’s Graduate School, today revealed his intentions to resign from his position after the summer graduation ceremony.

A globally acclaimed nuclear physicist, Riley will return to the faculty of the Department of Physics, where he will continue his significant contributions in research, instruction, and service.

“We are exceedingly thankful for the substantial contributions that Dr. Riley has provided as dean of The Graduate School and are confident he will carry forward great passion and vigor to our prestigious university in all of his subsequent endeavors,” stated Jim Clark, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

Riley has managed the education of graduate and professional students since 2017, initially serving as interim dean for one year and then as permanent dean beginning in 2018. Throughout that period, graduate enrollment surged by nearly 3,000 students, surpassing 10,000. FSU embraced its largest doctoral cohort ever in Fall 2024. Furthermore, this year, over 20 graduate programs were recognized in the Top 25 among public institutions, as per U.S. News & World Report.

Under Riley’s leadership, The Graduate School also introduced research communication competitions such as Master’s in Four and the Five-Minute Research Competition designed for postdoctoral scholars. He additionally initiated GradWorld FSU, an interactive mapping platform/video archive that enables graduate students, alumni, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty to display their accomplishments and contributions to FSU.

“The past eight years have been truly remarkable and exceptionally enjoyable,” Riley expressed. “It has been the pinnacle of my FSU journey to collaborate with so many wonderful individuals throughout the university, within such a unified, cohesive environment that has propelled FSU graduate programs forward so splendidly in diverse ways. I credit my success to my Graduate School team who have confronted every obstacle — and there have been many — with innovative suggestions and the requisite expertise as well as determination to implement them. MEGA-THANKS! FSU is a close-knit community, and I am privileged to have contributed to furthering Nancy Marcus’ legacy of assisting our graduate students to ‘shine brighter’ so they can impact the world. They are the future! GO NOLES!”

Riley became a part of the FSU faculty in 1991 and chaired the Department of Physics from 2007 to 2013. He received an FSU Distinguished Research Professor Award in 2008, and in 2014, he was honored as a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, the highest accolade the university faculty confers on one of its members. He also acted as interim Vice President for Research in 2022.

An interim dean will be appointed in the upcoming weeks.

The post Riley to return to faculty after eight years as Graduate School dean appeared first on Florida State University News.

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