John Leyba

After earning his bachelor's and doctoral degrees, Leyba entered the workforce with the U.S. Department of Energy. There he learned how to be a good employee and later a good manager. But it was his first boss who provided a prime example of being a good leader.

"My first boss would walk the halls on Fridays," Leyba said. "He'd come and talk to you and say, 'How's it going?'"

After being named the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Leyba planned to follow that same protocol among his 175 faculty on five campuses. It was not his only ambitious plan.

Since taking the reins in spring 2019 as interim and then permanently as dean in 2020, Leyba saw several plans come to fruition. A state-of-the-art observatory opened in fall 2020 on UNG's Dahlonega Campus while a new greenhouse was built on UNG's Gainesville Campus. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lab received two grants. One was for $150,000 from the USG STEM IV Initiative and a second of $30,000 from The John and Mary Franklin Foundation. Both allowed UNG to expand its STEM lab offerings to the fall semester.

"Those are important milestones for each campus," Leyba said. "And I want all students, faculty and staff in the College of Science and Mathematics to understand we are together as one unit. As a team, we move forward to achieve the goals."

Another goal Leyba launched was MOMENTUM! The electronic newsletter shares the accomplishments of the college's students, faculty, staff, and alumni. He coupled it with encouraging all to post their stories on CSM's Facebook and Instagram.

"Scientists aren't the best communicators," he said. "I like to publicize what we do, because we need to blow our own horn."

Providing students with the best education and faculty and staff with the resources to make that happen is a big goal.

"There are challenges, but most days I go home happy," Leyba said.