Staff, faculty and students walking around campus this summer may have noticed a new face in the School of Natural Sciences and Allied Health. This is Dr. Richard J. Thompson, who was appointed the dean, and began working on July 1. Thompson took the place of Dr. Kimberly Boyd who served as Interim Dean over the year and a half before him. Boyd will continue to serve as Associate Dean of Student Success as Thompson serves as the Dean.
Thompson was born and raised central Florida and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in astronomy from the University of Florida as well as his doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from Penn State. He was on the faculty of McMurry University in Abilene, Texas for 11 years as a physics professor and chair of the physics department. He then was the dean of the School of Mathematics and Sciences at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York for 12 years.
Thompson believes that this experience will help him as he adjusts to his new role.
“I do have a lot of experience, both as faculty and as a dean, at institutions similar to Cabrini and I believe this experience will come in handy as I learn to do my job over the coming year,” Thompson said.
After so many years of previous experience, Dr. Thompson was ready for some changes and new challenges. He saw in an ad that Cabrini was hiring and decided to go for it.
“It had a lot of the things I was looking for— the opportunity to build new programs, hire faculty, work on international recruiting and be involved with fundraising,” Thompson said.
Like many students and staff, Thompson was drawn in by Cabrini’s atmosphere and found it to be the right fit for him.
“When I visited campus, I got a really good vibe from the community,” Thompson said. “It just seemed like the place I wanted to move to.”
Throughout the summer, Thompson prepared for the upcoming semester. He set up his office in Iadarola Center room 312B. Decorating and getting comfortable wasn’t all he did. One of the most important things he had to do was meet Cabrini’s faculty and staff. Especially important was the staff of the School of Natural Sciences and Allied Health.
“I’ve met most of the staff and faculty and I’m very excited to be working with them,” Thompson said. “It really looks like a great team!”
With his knowledge of the staff and academic programs, Thompson remained optimistic about the fall 2017 semester and working at Cabrini in the years ahead.
“I’m very excited about the future of Cabrini. Our enrollment numbers are very good,” Thompson said. “The programs in my school are growing and I’m looking forward to helping continue this trend.”
