After more than 25 years of academic service to the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Roger Spry has retired as assistant dean for academic affairs and administration. In his position, Spry conducted the general administration and fiscal management of one of the nation’s largest medical schools, with an operations budget of nearly $300 million. During his tenure, Spry has had a leadership role in WSU’s emergence as one of the nation’s top medical schools, with a mission of excellence in education, patient care and research.
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Roger Spry |
Spry joined the School of Medicine in 1971 as director of fiscal affairs. In this capacity, he organized and implemented the School’s departmental administrative structure, and introduced computer programs for budgeting and controlling expenditures, as well as in several administrative areas. Automation of many of the School’s administrative services during this time was critical, as the School’s enrollment doubled to more than 1,000 students between 1971 and 1974.
Spry was promoted to assistant dean in 1975. Since then, he has had leadership responsibility not only for the daily administration and fiscal affairs of the School, but also for the completion of several critically important projects. With oversight for the School’s development function, Spry was key to the initiation and completion of the School’s first capital campaign, which raised more than $15 million for the construction of a new clinical research facility. Spry administered construction of the 100,000 square-foot building, which was Wayne State’s first facility funded almost exclusively through private donations.
More recently, Spry implemented and coordinated the installation of the computer network for the medical campus, which provided computer linkage for 1400 faculty and administrative staff. He was also instrumental in the development of the School’s first comprehensive strategic plan. He was recently presented with the 1998 Distinguished Service Award from the Wayne State University School of Medicine.