Dr. Clayton Railey III has announced his decision to resign after just two years as Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs.
Railey will be moving back home to Maryland in early June to take care of his father, who is not well.
He said, “I am very happy here and was planning on being here for the duration.”
When he took on the role as Provost at Bucks, his goal was to improve academic affairs. Even though two years is a very brief time, he said there have definitely been some changes.
The one thing Railey will miss most is the faculty, because, “They are so engaged with and dedicated to teaching and learning.”
Railey said he will also miss the deans. “There is a lot of forward thinking among the deans that will keep Bucks moving forward and establish its innovative character and excellence that has been an attribute for Bucks in the past,” said Railey.
When asked about how it has been to work with President Shanblatt, he said, “It has been great because a lot of what has progressed is really her vision.”
“Her vision was very congenial and compatible with my own ideas, so it has been very easy to work with her and implement her vision of the learning experience at Bucks,” said Railey.
Faculty Union President John Strauss said he, along with many other faculty members, was shocked when he heard the news.
“He is a very industrious man, because of the many ideas he possesses and his commitment to getting things done,” said Strauss.
Strauss said, “What’s even more great, is that he is also a fan of the Grateful Dead.”
In the past two years, Railey and his staff have improved various programs.
The Academic Advising Program, in which he is proudest of, was improved by requiring all degree- seeking students to be advised while organizing their academic plan.
He is most proud of the program because the interaction between faculty and students has “fabulously helped to grow relationships in and out of the classroom.”
Railey’s other goal as Provost was to maintain affordability and quality of education at Bucks by working with the BCCC Foundation.
Even though there is a national decline in the number of enrolled students in college, Railey said “In the past two years, Bucks has witnessed an increase in student retention.”
“The stronger of an advising program you have, the likelier students are to stay and work towards their goal,” said Railey.
He said, “I feel very strongly about the individuals who cannot afford an education at Bucks because they also deserve to be here.”
“The Foundation has been very generous to provide scholarships and other forms of aid for us to help those students to be here,” said Railey.
Making the Honors-at-Bucks program stronger was another achievement, in which Railey worked very closely with head of the Honors program, Professor Stephen Docarmo.
“We established 13 scholarships for first year honors students, expanded the number of dedicated classes, and expanded the number of transfer agreements with four-year schools,” said Railey.
The transfer agreements allow honors students to finish with Honors-at-Bucks and transfer immediately into the honors program at the four-year institution of their choice.
Although Dr. Railey has only been a member of the Bucks family for a short time, he has made an impact these past two years.
Strauss said, “The search for a new provost should start soon.” After Railey resigns, the Assistant Provost will take on the role until a new Provost is appointed.