Robert Armistead Bryan (April 26, 1926 – December 27, 2017) was an American former university professor, administrator and university president. Bryan was a native of Pennsylvania, and earned his

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

, master's and doctorate degrees. He subsequently obtained an appointment as a professor of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. He was a long-time professor and academic administrator at the University of Florida, and was appointed as the university's interim president, serving from 1989 to 1990. Bryan also served as the interim president of the University of Central Florida from 1991 to 1992, and the interim president of the University of South Florida from 1993 to 1994.

Early life

Bryan was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on April 26, 1926.University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections
Robert A. Bryan Biographical Note
Retrieved August 15, 2009. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Miami and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in English from the University of Kentucky.

Career

He was an English professor who specialized in sixteenth and seventeenth-century English literature. He taught at the University of Florida in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

, beginning in 1957, with short-term teaching assignments at

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

in Lakeland and Florida Atlantic University in

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. In each instance, Bryan returned to the

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument) A faculty is a legal in ...

of the University of Florida. Before accepting the professorship at Florida in 1957, Bryan served as a

ship's officer The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...

in the

U.S. Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

, as a special agent in U.S. Army Counter-intelligence, and as a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

in English literature at the University of California's Extension Division in Tokyo, Japan and the University of Kentucky.University of Florida, Past Presidents
Robert A. Bryan (Interim President 1989–1990)
Retrieved October 24, 2012. Bryan began his administrative career by becoming the assistant to the dean of the University of Florida Graduate School in 1961. A year later, as an associate professor, he became director of Florida's Ford Foundation. In 1969, he was appointed dean of advanced studies and director of research at Florida Atlantic University. In 1970, he returned to the University of Florida, and was appointed dean of faculties. He was promoted to associate vice-president for academic affairs in 1971, and became the vice-president of academic affairs in 1975. In 1985, he became university provost as well, and served in that capacity until his appointment as interim president. When president

Marshall Criser Marshall McAllister Criser, Jr. (born September 4, 1928) is an American corporate lawyer and former university administrator. Criser is a native of New Jersey, and earned his bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney. H ...

retired in 1989, Bryan served as the acting president of the University of Florida from 1989 to 1990. Criser Replacement
" ''Orlando Sentinel'' (December 20, 1988). Retrieved June 28, 2013. As a long-time vice-president of the university administration, he immediately placed his own stamp on it. During his twelve months as the university's interim president, Bryan became enmeshed in high-profile controversies involving NCAA violations by two of Florida's sports coaches.Jack Wheat,
Significant changes legacy of Bryan's 33-year career at UF
" ''The Gainesville Sun'', pp. 1A & 8A (March 4, 1990). Retrieved June 29, 2013. He was responsible for the forced resignation of Florida Gators football coach Galen Hall in September 1989, following alleged NCAA rules infractions by Hall and the football staff, and, together with athletic director Bill Arnsparger, for hiring

Heisman trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

-winning Florida

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...

as the new head coach of the Gators football team in December 1989. Only weeks after Bryan was responsible for Hall's forced resignation, he also demanded the resignation of Gators basketball head coach Norm Sloan for unrelated NCAA violations; Sloan was replaced by interim coach

Don DeVoe Donald Eugene DeVoe (born December 31, 1941) is a former American college basketball coach and former player. DeVoe played college basketball for Ohio State University, and later served as the head coach for Virginia Tech, the University of Wyom ...

. The Florida Board of Regents publicly credited Bryan with making difficult, but decisive decisions to preserve the integrity of the university. Bryan was recalled from retirement in 1991, when the Board of Regents asked him to serve as the interim president of the University of Central Florida in Orlando.Kit Lively,
UCF Gets a Gator for Short-term: The Regents Pick Robert Bryan, a Retired UF Provost, to Keep UCF's 'Momentum Going'
" ''Orlando Sentinel'' (June 20, 1991). Retrieved June 28, 2013. He was credited with creating the new UCF satellite campus in downtown Orlando.Kit Lively,
Bryan Settles Into Role: Interim President Robert Bryan Vows to Be More Than a 'Caretaker' and to Put His Experience to Work
" ''Orlando Sentinel'' (June 21, 1991). Retrieved June 28, 2013. Having developed a reputation as a capable university administrator, he was asked to serve as the interim president of the University of South Florida in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

from 1993 to 1994—the third time he served as interim president of a major state university. During his term at South Florida, Bryan took the step of requiring significantly greater financial commitments from the athletic department, boosters and alumni before the university's new

South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls football team represents the University of South Florida. The Bulls began playing in 1997 and compete in the American Athletic Conference (The American) of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) within the National Collegiat ...

program began intercollegiate play. In addition to his work as a professor and university administrator, Bryan also served as the president of the Florida Association of Colleges, as a consultant for the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

, and was the author of numerous books, journal articles and reviews.

Personal

Bryan was married to the former Kathryn Elizabeth Williams; they had two children, Lyla Bryan King and Matthew Bryan. Bryan, Kathryn Elizabeth Williams
" ''St. Petersburg Times'', Funeral Notices, p. 7B (July 3, 2007). Retrieved August 15, 2009. His wife died in 2007. Bryan lived in Gainesville, Florida. He died on December 27, 2017, at the age of 91.Robert Bryan, who served as interim President from 1989-90, has passed away
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Greenberg, Mark I.
''University of South Florida: The First Fifty Years, 1956-2006''
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida (2006). * Pleasants, Julian M., ''Gator Tales: An Oral History of the University of Florida'', University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2006). . * Van Ness, Carl, & Kevin McCarthy, ''Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: The University of Florida, 1853–2003'', University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (2003).

External links