Senior Vice President for Research and Strategic Initiatives Larry Lemanski will leave Temple on June 30 to become the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M Commerce. Lemanski, who is also a professor of anatomy and cell biology in the School of Medicine, came to Temple in December 2007 from Florida Atlantic University, where he had been vice president for research.

“It has been a great privilege for me to have had this opportunity at Temple, even thought it was shorter than I expected when I first came,” said Lemanski.  “I have enjoyed working with President Hart, the Provost and the faculty at Temple. “At the same time, I am excited to be going to Texas because this is a provost and vice president for academic affairs position which is a broader university administrative position than what I currently have here at Temple,” he said.  “So it is kind of a bittersweet thing for me.”

President Hart has created a Task Force on Research Administration and Graduate Education, which is being chaired by College of Science and Technology Dean Hai-Lung Dai, to examine the current administrative structure and policies regarding research and graduate studies across the university and make recommendations on the best practices that the university should consider.

The task force is exploring both short- and long-term strategies designed to encourage and support research activities by faculty and students; efficiently manage research-related activities such as grant services, technology transfer, compliance and support for research personnel, including but not limited to postdoctoral fellows, research faculty, staff, visiting scholars and international scholars; define the best structure to support research administration and graduate programs; and set policies that are conducive to creating a viable and sustainable environment for research.