Dr. Andrew Sustich accepts duties of interim associate vice chancellor for Research and Technology, interim executive director of ABI
Dr. Andrew Sustich, the dean of the Graduate School and of the Honors College at Arkansas State University, graciously accepted the position of the interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer, Thursday, May 17, and will become the interim Executive Director of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI), Friday, June 22.
Dr. Sustich is replacing Dr. Andy Novobilski who is leaving ASU for Gannon University in Erie, Pa., to serve as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“Dr. Sustich is exceedingly well-qualified for the important positions that he is and will be filling and has served with distinction in a number of high level academic positions during his employment at ASU,” stated ASU Provost Dr. Dan Howard. “Without question, I am convinced that Dr. Sustich will meet and exceed the highest performance expectations in his expanded administrative portfolio, and I encourage the academic and surrounding community to offer him their sincere congratulations and full support.”
“I have been afforded a variety of opportunities to help shape the evolution and growth of Arkansas State University up to this point, and I am excited now about my new challenges in helping to move the institution into a more research-intensive level while still maintaining our traditional dedication to student learning,” said Dr. Sustich. “I am thankful for the work that Dr. Novobilski has done in these positions. The research of our faculty generates new knowledge that can benefit our society.
“Our Research and Development Institute is poised to help move this research into the commercial sector and impact economic development in our region and state. And most importantly, this research activity provides our students opportunities to actively participate in the creation and development of new ideas that simply cannot be obtained in a standard classroom. The economy of our future depends upon our students of today.”
Dr. Sustich joined the ASU faculty in 1991 as professor of Physics and has served in several administrative appointments, including associate dean of what once was the College of Arts and Sciences, July 1-January 2003; the interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences January-June 2003; the interim dean of theCollege of Humanities and Social Sciences, July 2004-June 2005; interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology Transfer, April-December 2005; and interim dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Nov. 2008-June 2009.
He currently serves as the Dean of the Graduate School and Dean of The Honors College since 2006.
In addition, he also served as executive director of the Jonesboro Field Office of the National Faculty, anon-profit organization devoted to improving K-12 teaching across the country.
Dr. Sustich received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Following a two-year postdoctoral research appointment at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, he joined the physics faculty at ASU as an assistant professor in 1991. He was promoted to associate professor in 1994 and full professor in 1999. He and his wife, Laura, have two children, Thomas and Sarah.
His physics research interests have included developing an understanding of nuclear structure and dynamics through modeling (and comparison with experimental results) of nuclear systems under extreme conditions of temperature, density, and neutron-proton symmetry.
He has also been actively involved in revising the classroom delivery of physics instruction at the university level, and in working to improve the content knowledge and teaching skills of K–12 science teachers.
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