GVSU names new dean of Health Professions

The new dean of the College of Health Professions at Grand Valley State University brings a diverse background to the position, including previous experience in the public health, rehabilitation and therapeutic recreation fields.

Roy H. Olsson Jr. is the current dean of the School of Professional Studies at the State University of New York at Cortland. He will assume duties at GVSU on July 1, replacing Jane Toot, who plans to return to teaching after 13 years as dean, and previously, director of the college.

At SUNY-Cortland, Olsson oversees six academic departments: Recreation and Leisure Studies, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Physical Education, Health, Exercise Science and Sports Studies, and Sports Management. The School of Professions is one of the largest at SUNY-Cortland, with more than 2,237 undergraduate and graduate students; SUNY-Cortland has an enrollment of 7,056.

Grand Valley Provost Gayle R. Davis said Olsson will be a good fit at GVSU and in West Michigan’s health care community. "The search committee and I were impressed with the range and length of successful experiences that Dr. Olsson will bring to the deanship," she said.

Olsson said he was attracted to Grand Valley because of its diverse health programs. "My background is in health professions and because many of my family members worked in the same field, I've always gravitated toward helping professions," he said.

Olsson had served as professor and chair of the Department of Public Health and Rehabilitation Services at the University of Toledo from 2001-2004. He has also taught at the University of South Alabama, University of Oregon and Villa Maria College in Pennsylvania.

He and his wife Patricia have four grown children and two new grandchildren.

Prior to beginning his teaching career, Olsson led the redesign of the rehabilitation program at Northwest Psychiatric Hospital in Toledo, served as director of rehabilitation services at Lakeside Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and as director of adjunctive therapies at Mid-Continent Hospital in Olathe, Kansas.

He earned a doctorate in leisure studies and services from the University of Oregon, a master's degree in physical education with a concentration in recreational therapy from Kansas State College of Pittsburg and a bachelor's degree in social work from Kansas State College of Pittsburg.

Grand Valley's College of Health Professions has eight programs: Clinical Laboratory Science, Health Professions, Occupational Safety and Health Management, Radiological and Imaging Sciences, Therapeutic Recreation, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, and Physical Therapy. More than 700 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in the college.