Frank Ewers, professor and chair of the biological sciences department, has been named the associate vice president for research, Provost Marten denBoer announced Wednesday. Ewers, a member of the university faculty since 2007, will begin his new position July 25.

In his new position, Ewers will work to strengthen and promote the engagement of faculty and students in research and scholarly activity across the university. He will also oversee the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, which is responsible for about $14 million in external funding annually. He replaces Donald Hoyt, who is entering the Faculty Early Retirement Program and will continue to teach in the biological sciences department.

"Under Frank's leadership, Cal Poly Pomona will continue to advance research opportunities, showcasing the educational impact of our teacher-scholar model," denBoer says. "His extensive experience with research and institutional grants, excellent relationships across the colleges and divisions, and demonstrated personal and leadership abilities should provide for success in expanding the university's scholarly profile."

Before coming to Cal Poly Pomona, Ewers was a faculty member for over 22 years at Michigan State University in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. He was also the founding interim chair of the Department of Plant Biology at Michigan State.

Ewers, an expert in plant ecology, anatomy and evolution, secured more than $250,000 in the last five years for student scholarships and biology research. He is also a co-principal investigator for a $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve education in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. He is currently also the President of the Southern California Conferences for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR).

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to promote scholarship across all the disciplines at Cal Poly Pomona. Giving our students a real-world experience is the core of a Cal Poly Pomona education," Ewers says. "Our campus is uniquely positioned to advance faculty mentored student research and scholarly activity in every discipline. I am thankful for this new charge and look forward to a bright future."

Ewers completed his undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and received his doctoral degree in botany from the University of California, Berkeley. He has also lectured at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and performed research at the Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami and at the University of California Berkeley Herbarium.