Riley to return to faculty after eight years as Graduate School dean

Mark Riley, dean of Florida State University’s Graduate School, today announced his plans to step down from his post following summer commencement.  

A world-renowned nuclear physicist, Riley will return to the Department of Physics faculty, where he will resume his impactful work in research, teaching and service. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the valuable contributions that Dr. Riley has made as dean of The Graduate School and know he will continue to bring great enthusiasm and spirit to our esteemed university in all his future endeavors,” said Jim Clark, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. 

Riley has overseen the education of graduate and professional students since 2017, first as interim dean for a year and then as permanent dean since 2018. During that time, graduate enrollment increased by about 3,000 students to over 10,000. FSU welcomed the university’s largest doctoral cohort ever in Fall 2024. In addition, this year, more than 20 graduate programs ranked in the Top 25 among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. 

Under Riley’s guidance, The Graduate School also implemented research communication competitions such as Master’s in Four and the Five-Minute Research Competition for postdoctoral scholars. He also launched GradWorld FSU, an interactive mapping website/video archive that allows graduate students, alumni, postdoctoral scholars and faculty to showcase their achievements and contributions to FSU. 

“The past eight years have been simply amazing and incredibly fun,” Riley said. “It has been the highlight of my FSU career to work with so many marvelous people across the whole university, in such a collective, coherent dynamic environment, that has helped FSU graduate programs move forward so magnificently in so many ways. I owe my success to my Graduate School team who have met every challenge — and there have been quite a few — with brilliant ideas and the necessary skills plus persistence to carry them out. MEGA-THANKS! FSU is a family, and I am honored to have played a part in continuing Nancy Marcus’ legacy of helping our graduate students ‘shine brighter’ so they can help change the world. They are the future! GO NOLES!” 

Riley joined the FSU faculty in 1991 and served as chair of the Department of Physics from 2007 to 2013. He was selected for an FSU Distinguished Research Professor Award in 2008, and in 2014, he was named a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, the highest honor the university faculty bestows on one of its own. He also served as interim Vice President for Research in 2022.  

An interim dean will be appointed in the coming weeks. 

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