Presenter Bio - Joe Murray

Joseph (Joe) Murray is currently the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies at Florida Atlantic University located in Boca Raton, Florida.

Prior to joining the FAU team, Joe served as the Director for Academic Advising and Retention Services at Miami (OH) University’s Hamilton Campus for 22 years. Both positions were focused on first- and second-year student support.  With over 30 years of higher education experience, Joe has developed some powerful tools and insights on student success, case management and office supervision. 

He is a national consultant helping institutions improve their retention and graduation efforts. Joe helped to develop and refine the Appreciative Advising Inventory and has been part of a national task force aimed at advancing the concept of Appreciative Advising.  In addition to teaching the Appreciative model to professional and faculty advisors, Joe has provided multiple training workshops and retreats to deliver the model from a customer service and employee management perspective.  Joe has adopted the framework to all offices across campus.  Examples include Financial Aid, Admissions, Registration, Student Recruitment, International Student Services, Residence Life including the student RA’s, Library support personal, Disability Services, Student Ambassadors and other student groups, Testing, Career Services, and Student Life.  He specializes in supporting and encouraging cultural change within higher education institutions.  Most recently, he served on the faculty for the 2011-2023 Appreciative Advising Institutes.  He is a certified Appreciative Adviser.

Joe works tirelessly to help students that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education with a focus on first-year access and success.  He has been a driving force behind Ohio Reach, a state and national effort to increase access and retention to higher education for Ohio’s Lower Income/Disadvantaged Youth and Foster Care Alumni.  He resigned from the Ohio Reach governing board to relocate to Florida to begin work to support foster youth in that state.  He is a co-founder for Florida Reach.  In 2019, Joe also co-founded a non-profit organization, Champions Empowering Champions to further support foster youth and homeless students at FAU.  He has served as the Co-Chair of the First-Generation College Student Interest Group for the National Advising Association (NACADA) from 2007 – 2012.