FAMU Names Andrew Chin Interim SA+ET Dean

Longtime School of Architecture and Engineering Technology Dean Rodner Wright retires.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced Andrew Chin as interim dean for the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology (SA+ET). Chin’s appointment is effective Friday, July 1, upon the retirement of Rodner Wright, AIA.

Andrew Chin addresses a June 9 gathering to honor the retirement of SA+ET Dean Rodner Wright and SOAHS Dean Cynthia Hughe Harris.

“I want to commend and thank Dean Wright for his many years of dedicated service and outstanding leadership,” said Maurice Edington, Ph.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Associate Dean Chin has provided exemplary leadership for several years, and I’m very appreciative that he has agreed to step into this important role as we begin the transition to identify the next dean.”

Chin currently serves as the associate dean for SA+ET. His responsibilities include leading, coordinating and promoting the school’s research activities, as well as providing oversight for its assessment activities and reports. He previously served as the School’s interim dean from 2016 to 2018, and from 2012 to 2015.

“I am both excited and honored to be selected to continue the legacy that Dean Wright established,” said Chin. “I have worked under his leadership for the past 20 years and I am prepared to address the opportunities for success presented to our School.”

Chin’s architecture research has been published in more than 15 journals, and he has a decades-long experience as a principal investigator in various funded design projects. Chin received a Master of Science in planning from Florida State University, as well as a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida. He also completed the management development program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

Provost Edington said the University plans to begin a national search for the next dean at the conclusion of the fall semester.