M. Scott Herness, PhD has been appointed Vice Provost for Research and Dean of The Graduate School at Montclair State University, effective March 19, 2018.<\/p>\n
Herness will join Montclair State after serving as the Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School at The Ohio State University, where he oversaw all aspects of graduate education at one of the nation\u2019s largest public Research 1 land grant institutions. Prior to his position at Ohio State, he held positions at The Rockefeller University and Indiana University School of Medicine. He will be responsible for the continued advancement of research and graduate studies at Montclair State.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Herness brings exceptional experience as a faculty member and researcher in Neurobiology and as a senior administrator in graduate education,\u201d says Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole. \u201cHe has the capacity to provide strong leadership to Montclair State\u2019s growing initiatives in research and graduate education in the University\u2019s 11 colleges and schools, and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to our dynamic institution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herness earned a PhD in Biology in the Psychobiology Program from Florida State University. His research interests include sensory neuroscience with an emphasis on cellular transduction mechanisms in taste receptor cells. His work has received significant support from the National Institutes of Health and has been published in many prominent scholarly journals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am truly excited about joining the Montclair State community,\u201d says Herness. \u201cWith its recent reclassification as a Carnegie-designated Research Doctoral University, Montclair State is in an ideal position to grow both its research endeavors and its graduate portfolio. I look forward to meeting and working together with my new colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following its designation as a Research Doctoral University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in January 2016, Montclair State was also named a public research university by the State of New Jersey in July of 2017, making it one of four such institutions in the state and serving as further recognition of the University\u2019s growing research endeavors.<\/p>\n
Celebrating its 20th<\/sup> anniversary in the fall of 2017, The Graduate School now features nearly 100 master\u2019s and doctoral programs and has a total enrollment of 4,200 students \u2013 20 percent of Montclair State\u2019s total enrollment.<\/p>\n \u201cMontclair State is at an unprecedented point in its history for the growth of its extramurally funded research and the doctoral programs that will support it,\u201d says Herness. \u201cI am\u00a0eager to lend my efforts\u00a0at this unique time as\u00a0Montclair State\u00a0enhances its reputation as a research university.\u201d<\/p>\n