SMITHFIELD, R.I. (April 5, 2010) – Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley today announced the appointment of José-Marie Griffiths, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as Bryant’s next vice president of academic affairs, effective June 2010.

Dr. Griffiths is an acclaimed policy expert, researcher and administrator with more than 30 years of experience in academic, corporate and government settings. She currently is a professor in the School of Information and Library Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill and deputy director of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute. (A copy of her CV is available. Contact Tracie Sweeney.)

Bryant’s vice president for academic affairs is responsible for all academic and research programs within the University’s College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences. Griffiths will play a major role in the University’s upcoming strategic planning process, reviewing both the undergraduate and the graduate education curricula to ensure continuing and increasing excellence, strengthening selected academic and research areas, and recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty.

“As we look to the future, all private colleges and universities need to closely examine their educational model to ensure they develop a compelling and sustainable institution that differentiates itself,” Machtley said. “Dr. Griffiths’ unparalleled background equips her with a rare perspective that will accelerate Bryant’s momentum toward such goals. I look forward to having someone of Dr. Griffiths’ caliber as a member of our team.”

“I have a passion to see individuals and organizations grow, function effectively, and improve the quality of their own lives as they serve the greater good of local, state, national and global communities,” Dr. Griffiths said in a statement released today. “Bryant University has achieved considerable success in recent years and is clearly an excellent institution on a trajectory of growth. The University’s commitment to academic excellence, student-centered focus, multicultural and international perspectives, use of advanced technologies and opportunities for corporate, business and other real-world experiences are especially appealing.”

Among her achievements:

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006 to a term on the U.S. National Science Board
• Previous presidential appointments include President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
• Served on blue-ribbon panels and committees for agencies including the National Academy of Sciences, NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy
• Previously served on faculty of University of Pittsburgh, University of Michigan, the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Bachelor’s degree in physics and a doctorate in information science, both from University College London.

Griffiths will succeed V.K. Unni, D.B.A., Bryant’s vice president for academic affairs since 1997. Unni will return to the Bryant faculty as Distinguished Professor of Business when he completes a year-long sabbatical that begins this June. Machtley praised Unni’s guidance and leadership. “V.K. has inspired us in ways that will be difficult to replicate,” Machtley said. “He has been a distinguished colleague and a valued personal friend. I am personally indebted to him for his many contributions to Bryant during his long tenure.”

Griffiths’ appointment culminates a nationwide search that began last September.