Peter Lyons, Georgia State University's associate provost for institutional effectiveness and a professor of social work in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, will become the first vice provost and dean of the new Perimeter College after the Board of Regents approves the consolidation of Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) in January.

“Peter brings a wealth of academic and administrative experience to this position,” said Risa Palm, Georgia State provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Lyons has spearheaded the university’s move to a single authoritative data system, redesigned the academic program review and administrative unit review processes and led the university through various accreditation-related initiatives. He was interim dean of the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions and developed and coordinated the consolidation plan for GPC and Georgia State.

“Peter is passionate about Perimeter’s mission and looks forward to working with his colleagues to make this consolidation a stunning success,” said President Mark Becker.

Lyons joined the Georgia State faculty in 1998 as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work and became a full professor in 2011.

He received his Ph.D. in social work from SUNY Buffalo, and earned his master’s degree in social work and advanced diploma in education at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

With the vote of the Board of Regents in January 2016, Perimeter College will officially become an academic unit within Georgia State. The Regents approved consolidation of the two institutions in January 2015.