Dr. Richard Astro
Chief Academic Officer
(407) 823-4770
Dr. Richard Astro serves as the Chief Academic Officer for the National Consortium for Academics and Sportsand Distinguished University Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the NCAS staff, Dr. Astro served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Drexel. From 1996-2002, he oversaw the administration of academic programs at the University and worked to merge Drexel with the MCHahnemann School of Medicine. Previously, he served in the same capacity at the University of Central Florida (1986-1993). From 1993-1996, he administered the State of Florida’s Eastern Europe Linkage institute that was housed at UCF. In this position, he designed, implemented and administered more than $2 million of grant and contract activity in Central Europe and in the successor states of the former Soviet Union.
Astro served as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Northeastern from 1978-1986 where he founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society and hired Richard Lapchick as its Director. While at Drexel University, Astro established the NCAS Mid-Atlantic regional office at the University and administered the Athletes in Service to America program.
Astro received his bachelor’s degree in English at Oregon State University. He did his graduate work in American Literature and received his master’s degree at the University of Colorado and his doctorate at the University of Washington. He served on the faculty of English at Oregon State from 1966-1978, becoming Chair of the English Department in 1975 and Assistant to the Vice President for Research for Humanities Programs in 1974. Astro serves on several regional and national academic boards and committees and, since 1994, has served as honorary consul from the Republic of Moldova to the State of Florida and the City of Philadelphia. He also serves as the Academic Liaison for the New York Mets Baseball Club.