Daniel Czech Named Dean of School of Applied Sciences

Czech will join the university June 2, pending approval by the Mississippi Institutions Higher Learning trustees.

"I'm deeply honored and energized to join Ole Miss and become part of its rich tradition of academic excellence," Czech said. "I am thrilled by the prospect of collaborating with our distinguished faculty and staff to cultivate the next generation of leaders in applied sciences."

Czech comes to the university from Eastern Kentucky University, where he has served as dean of the College of Health Sciences since 2022. During his tenure at EKU, Czech was instrumental in developing the college's research capabilities and grant funding framework, substantially broadening its donor network and achieving unprecedented retention rates among students, faculty and staff.

"I am excited about the experience and perspective that Dr. Czech will be bringing to the university and this position," said Noel Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. "He has experiences and accomplishments that have well positioned him to lead the school that is made up of clinical, professional and academic faculty, staff and programs."

A recognized expert in performance psychology, Czech has published more than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts and secured more than $6.5 million in research funding throughout his career.

His research interests include understanding emotional intelligence in the workplace, applying positive psychology interventions in the workplace, enhancing psychological skills training in performance settings and understanding post-pandemic health behavior change strategies.

His experience includes:

• Serving as an international ambassador for Major League Baseball
• Conducting numerous performance psychology clinics in 58 countries
• Operating as a performance psychology consultant for NFL, PGA, NBA and MLB athletes
• Acting as a performance psychology consultant for Fortune 500 companies on workplace performance optimization.

The new dean hopes to leverage his experiences to foster a school environment where students, faculty and staff can thrive.

"My background in professional sports, business and emotional intelligence research has taught me that success comes from building strong teams and understanding human potential," he said. "This means developing innovative mentorship programs, enhancing our research infrastructure through state-of-the-art facilities and resources, expanding industry connections for real-world experience and implementing evidence-based approaches to student success and faculty development.

"My research and implementation of psychological safety frameworks demonstrates that cultivating an environment of trust and support inherently fosters innovation and drives excellence."

His previous higher education experience also includes teaching and administrative stints at Georgia College and State University, Georgia Southern University and Samford University.

He holds a doctorate in sports and exercise psychology from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree in performance psychology from Georgia Southern University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Denison University.

Top: Daniel Czech has been named dean of the School of Applied Sciences following a national search. Czech brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education and has worked in performance psychology consulting for professional athletes and Fortune 500 companies. Submitted photo