Associate Dean for the Graduate School

Winfred M. Phillips, Vice President

Kenneth J. Gerhardt, professor of communication sciences and disorders, has been appointed associate dean of the Graduate School for academic programs and student affairs.

Gerhardt, a faculty member at the University of Florida since 1978, has extensive experience working with graduate students at the departmental and college level. He served as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders from 1985 to 1993 and in 1995 helped develop a new doctoral program in audiology. In addition, he has chaired or co-chaired 22 thesis and dissertation committees and served as a member of 39 others.

“It’s an honor to be invited to serve in this capacity,” Gerhardt said. “The Graduate School faces exciting and challenging academic issues in the coming years, including its role in positioning the University of Florida among the nation’s top 10 public institutions.”

Among Gerhardt’s responsibilities will be to lead the Graduate School and represent the university on graduate education issues, on campus and externally.

Gerhardt said one of his top goals will be to promote and sustain graduate programs that cut across traditional boundaries. “One of the strengths of graduate education at UF is the diverse approach faculty take to developing programs,” Gerhardt said. “By encouraging faculty to find meaningful points of intersection among various disciplines and by providing assistance to them to develop new programs that meet the needs of our global enterprise, we can at the same time stimulate growth in graduate enrollment and enhance the quality of our student body.”

Graduate School Dean Win Phillips said Gerhardt offered the best combination of skills and experience among an extremely well-qualified pool of applicants for the half-time position.

“Dr. Gerhardt’s experience developing and managing graduate programs and students make him uniquely qualified to promote the graduate studies mission of the University of Florida,” Phillips said. “I am confident that faculty and students will be well served by this appointment.”

Gerhardt succeeds marketing Professor Richard Lutz, who returned to the Warrington College of Business after five years as associate dean.