Biography
Daniel Czech is the Dean of the School of Applied Sciences at the University of Mississippi. He leads six academic departments serving more than 3,500 students
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
This fall, the School of Applied Sciences posted the largest enrollment increase of any academic unit at the university. Dean Czech and his team built the High Impact Practice Program, which gives students a structured sequence of undergraduate research, internship, service learning, and global experiences tied directly to employability after graduation. They also launched Mississippi Thrive, a statewide community engagement umbrella under which each department advances a flagship program serving Mississippi communities. He helped establish the School of Applied Sciences Office of Technology and Artificial Intelligence and led the development of a proposed minor in Applied Artificial Intelligence in Health and Human Sciences, preparing graduates across all six disciplines for careers reshaped by artificial intelligence. He also helped expand student retention progression and graduation rates around early intervention and holistic advising.
PRIOR LEADERSHIP
Dean Czech brings 28 years across five institutions. He began as Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at Samford University, then spent nearly two decades at Georgia Southern University, rising to Professor and serving as Graduate Program Director and Honors Research Chair. He later served as Associate Dean in the College of Health Sciences at Georgia College. As Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University, he led a college spanning the full nursing ladder from the associate degree through the doctorate, established the college's first Center for Retention, Progression, and Graduation, which produced the highest retention rate at the university, created the College of Health Sciences Leadership Board, doubled resources in the college foundation account, and expanded the donor base.
SCHOLARSHIP
Dean Czech has published more than 90 peer-reviewed works, including journal articles and conference abstracts, along with four authored books and seven book chapters. He has delivered more than 100 professional presentations across refereed conferences, international sport federation clinics, and keynote addresses, and has directed or supervised over 85 graduate and undergraduate student research projects. In addition, he has helped research team secure more than $4.2 million in funded awards. His research spans performance psychology, positive psychology interventions, emotional intelligence in leadership, psychological skills training, and post-pandemic health behavior.
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
A Certified Mental Performance Consultant Emeritus through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Dean Czech has consulted with athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and PGA. As an International Ambassador for Major League Baseball International from 1996 to 2016, he developed sport programs and delivered performance psychology clinics in 58 countries across six continents. He also consults with Fortune 500 companies on leadership development and workplace performance.
LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
His approach is built on the COAT framework of Cohesion, Optimism, Accountability, and Trust. Cohesion means people work as one unit rather than as competing parts. Optimism means possibility gets named before difficulty is cataloged. Accountability means decisions are data informed, transparent, and owned. Trust means shared governance is practiced rather than announced. Together these create the conditions where faculty, staff, and students take the interpersonal risks that good work requires.
Education
Ph.D. , The University of Tennessee (2001)
School of Applied Sciences News
Faculty News
OXFORD, Miss. – Daniel Czech, whose distinguished career includes performance psychology consulting for professional athletes and Fortune 500 companies, has been named dean of the University of Mississippi School of Applied Sciences following a national search.
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Research News / Your Mississippi -
Research News / Your Mississippi