University of North Florida Appoints Three New College Deans

The University of North Florida announces the appointment of three new deans, Drs. Curt Lox, George Rainbolt and Jeff Chamberlain, who will be joining the University faculty this summer.

Lox will be the dean of the Brooks College of Health, starting the end of May, while Rainbolt will be the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, beginning in July. Beginning in August, Chamberlain will be the dean of the Hicks Honors College.
“I’m pleased to welcome three outstanding deans to the University administrative team as each dean has proven to be an effective advocate for faculty and students,” said Dr. Earle Traynham, provost in the Division of Academic Affairs at UNF. “I’m confident that Drs. George Rainbolt, Jeff Chamberlain and Curt Lox will bring to their respective positions a collaborative nature, strong leadership and experience in strategic planning.”
For the past two decades, Lox has worked at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a kinesiology and health education professor and as dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior. He has served on the editorial review boards for the Collegiate Press and the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Currently, Lox is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
He serves as a sport psychology consultant to the United States Martial Arts Team, St. Louis Steamers and the University of California Riverside Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, to name a few. Lox earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois and his master’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Dr. Pam Chally, former BCH dean, retired in late March but will return in October to serve as the University’s interim provost. Dr. Cathy Christie, BCH associate dean, is serving as acting dean to bridge the gap between Chally leaving and Lox starting the new post.

Rainbolt comes from Georgia State University, where he’s chair of the Department of Philosophy. Dr. Madeline Zavodny, his wife, will be joining the Coggin College of Business faculty as an economics professor. While at GSU, Rainbolt implemented an innovative plan to allow faculty to shift their teaching responsibilities between semesters to free up more time for research and also worked to help faculty members gain external funding.
He has held several international positions, including Visiting Professor, Shanghai University in Shanghai, China; Visiting Scholar, College Internationale de Philosophie in Paris; and Visiting Scholar, Universität Bielefeld in Bielefeld, Germany. Rainbolt earned both his doctorate and master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College.

For the past 10 years, Chamberlain served as the director of the Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Previously, he was a professor of history at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. His areas of teaching interests include social, political and intellectual as well as Ecclesiastical History of Tudor/Stuart and Georgian England.
Chamberlain has authored such books as “Accommodating High Churchmen: The Clergy of Sussex” and “Changes and Chances.” He earned his doctorate from the University of Chicago and earned two master’s degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, while his bachelor’s degree came from Bryan College.
The current Honors Director, Dr. Jeff Michelman, will be returning as a UNF faculty member, after working for the past several years elevating the Honors Program to a College.
UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.