Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine has announced the retirement of Robert E. Hinkley, Ph.D., associate dean of admissions and enrollment at the end of this year. Hinkley joined the college in 2010 to champion the admissions and enrollment process of FAU’s new medical school recruiting and assembling 64 students in the inaugural class and 64 students this year’s incoming class. Hinkley has worked in medical admissions and enrollment for more than 39 years.    

 

“This year, we doubled the number of applications we received to 3,000 for 64 positions in our incoming class, and this is a testament to Dr. Hinkley’s outstanding skills and experience,” said David J. Bjorkman, M.D., M.S.P.H., dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. “He leaves a legacy that puts students first and we are most grateful for his service and dedication to our new medical school and to medical education.”

 

Under Hinkley’s leadership, the Schmidt College of Medicine received more than 1,500 applications for its inaugural class last year within a very condensed timeframe. The inaugural class represents all of the major colleges and universities in Florida as well as institutions around the nation such as Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Brigham Young and Duke.

 

Hinkley received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 2008, where he spent 17 years overseeing the medical admissions program there. He received this award for his commitment to recruiting and matriculating outstanding students of medicine, allowing a generation of students to achieve their dreams and greatly contributing to the quality and diversity of the physician workforce. He was also tapped for “Iron Arrow” in 1995, the highest honor attainable at the University of Miami. In addition to the senior administrative positions that he has held during his career, he is an accomplished researcher who conducted National Institutes of Health-sponsored research for more than 20 years and received a Research Career Development Award from the NIH.