Dr. Paul W. Ferguson is Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. During the past twenty five years Dr. Ferguson has worked in public higher education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Louisiana, Monroe. Dr. Ferguson has significant experience as both Chief Academic Officer (SIUE) and Chief Research Officer (Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at UNLV, Vice Provost and Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at ULM) for undergraduate, graduate and professional academic programs in the areas of accreditation, assessment, campus strategic planning/organization, legal aspects of academic policies/procedures, and faculty development. This focus has contributed to institutional transformations characterized by enhanced faculty scholarship, grantsmanship, academic program growth and quality improvement.

Dr. Ferguson’s scholarship has been focused in three major areas: (1) innovative programs and curricula to address manpower needs and to help define professional standards in graduate and health sciences programs, (2) curriculum development to further the understanding of the potential health risks from and improve risk communication about chemical exposures, and (3) relationships between metabolism and toxicity of drugs and environmental chemicals using a variety of model biological systems including cell culture and isolated organ systems.

Education: Education: B.A. in Biology, Whittier College; Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of California, Davis.