Dr. Terry E. Parker is the provost and executive vice president. As provost, he oversees all aspects of the university’s growth, including attracting new students, recruiting faculty and working with faculty to secure research grants. He also plays a leadership role in academic development, including creating a quality curriculum and expanding the degrees offered by the institution.

 

Parker has more than 40 years of experience in academia and research, including nine years of senior academic leadership experience. Before coming to Florida Poly, he served as provost and executive vice president of the Colorado School of Mines, one of the world’s leading engineering institutions. Under his leadership as provost, the school underwent a major expansion that included a 35 percent growth in the faculty, the addition of new academic and research programs and a significant addition to the academic capital plant with the addition of new buildings.

 

Parker rose through the ranks at Mines, beginning as an untenured associate professor in 1994, acquiring tenure in 1997, and receiving the rank professor in 2003. Parker was active in his service support of the campus and served on numerous campus committees including time as chair of both the Campus Promotion and Tenure Committee and the Campus Research Council. He was selected to be the director of the Engineering Division in 2006 and transitioned into his role as provost in January of 2011. His academic experience as a professor at Mines spans 22 years, a period in which he collected numerous awards and honors, including winning the National Science Foundation Career Award. Before entering academia, Parker held several industry positions, including time as a traditional research and development engineer for IBM/Office Products Division and then as a pure research engineer for Physical Sciences Incorporated.