Completing over a decade of dedicated service, John Kelly, Ph.D., today announced his retirement from Florida Atlantic University. Having served as the university’s president during a transformational eight-year tenure, Kelly’s last day with the university will be June 30.
Completing over a decade of dedicated service, John Kelly, Ph.D., today announced his retirement from Florida Atlantic University. Having served as the university’s president during a transformational eight-year tenure, Kelly’s last day with the university will be June 30.
Kelly began his tenure as president of FAU in March 2014. His appointment came on the heels of the university placing dead last in the first-ever State University System Performance Funding Metrics, experiencing stagnant enrollment, poor graduation and retention rates, and struggling to shake off its “commuter school” reputation.
One of Kelly’s first initiatives was the development of the 2015-2025 strategic plan called the Race to Excellence. The road map for the next decade, the Race to Excellence was the blueprint guiding the university towards investments in student housing, faculty resources, the university’s research enterprise, and other important initiatives.
“John Kelly’s far-reaching impact on this university laid the groundwork for the tremendous success we are experiencing today,” said FAU President Adam Hasner. “This remarkable progress includes our rising graduation rates and record-breaking freshman applications to robust enrollment, increased philanthropic support, and national recognition across our academic, research, and athletic programs. As Florida Atlantic’s seventh president, John paved the way for our continued rise in the years to come. It is a true honor to succeed him as president, and we extend our heartfelt best wishes to John and Carolyn in their well-earned retirement.”
Within two years of Kelly’s arrival, FAU ranked No. 1 in the Florida Board of Governor’s Performance Funding Model. The turnaround had several benefits including investment in student mentoring and advising, a complete overhaul of the admissions process, and the beginning of many of the university’s student success initiatives, which remain in place today.
During Kelly’s leadership, the university began its drive to reach R1 classification, which it achieved earlier this year. The university established strong partnerships with Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience at its Jupiter campus, and inaugurated the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence. The latter project was made possible by the then-largest philanthropic gift in the university’s history: $16 million from the Schmidt Family Foundation.
Committed to student success, Kelly and his wife, Carolyn, partnered with philanthropists and higher-education advocates Aubrey and Sally Strul to support academically talented first-generation, low-income students at FAU with financial resources, academic support, and mentorship to help these students to graduate debt-free in four years or less. Established with an initial $1 million investment, the Kelly/Strul Emerging Scholars Program has assisted over 160 students since its founding.
In athletics, Kelly hired Lane Kiffin and Dusty May as head coaches for football and men’s basketball, respectively. Kiffin twice won the Conference USA title and the Boca Raton Bowl. May famously took the Owls on an incredible Final Four run in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2023.
“John Kelly’s leadership was instrumental in establishing Florida Atlantic University as a national model for student success," said FAU Board of Trustees Chair Piero Bussani. "The achievements we celebrate today – attaining R1 research status, expanding access for first-generation and Pell Grant students, and attracting a record number of high-achieving applicants – are the result of the strong foundation laid during President Kelly’s tenure. We are deeply grateful for his vision and dedication in helping transform our university.”
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