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Dr. Mark Horacek Announced as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

Mark Horacek, PT, MS, PhD, currently serves as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP). Dr. Horacek served in this position as interim for almost a year, prior to the official announcement on March 21 of this year.

Dr. Horacek came to RMUoHP with an extensive background in physical therapy and higher education. He studied at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and a master’s degree and a PhD in anatomy. During his graduate studies, when he wasn’t studying or in class, he taught physical therapy courses and worked on weekends to treat patients in need of physical therapy. After receiving his PhD, Dr. Horacek went to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where he received federal funding as a Fellow in Physiology and Reproduction.

Following his fellowship, Dr. Horacek was promoted to Assistant Professor and directed the anatomy and embryology courses for medical students. He was also the director of the willed-body program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and curator of the Anatomical Museum.

In 1993, Dr. Horacek learned that Creighton University was planning to start the first Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the United States and commented, “I immediately knew that I wanted to be a part of that historically significant program and so I moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to work in the new DPT program as an associate professor.” Following significant work there, Dr. Horacek served as the Physical Therapy Department Chair at Winston-Salem State University, then went to Missouri State University to start a physical therapy from the ground up. He then was hired to start a DPT program at the University of Saint Mary in Kansas, which he did, and then he was hired to start a new campus with a DPT program for the University of Saint Augustine.

With all of that experience working as a physical therapist and teaching and leading within higher education, Dr. Horacek came to RMUoHP in March 2016 as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. He served in that role until May 2017, when he was asked to serve as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

Dr. Horacek brings with him deep-rooted core values that align with the mission and core themes of RMUoHP. “I know that it is necessary to have integrity in all leadership positions and, whenever possible, functioning transparently facilitates cooperative and collaborative achievements.” He adds, “I believe it is important to bring all of my strength to bear, but also to understand the fundamental importance of recognizing the talent around me and utilizing the strengths of all people here to complement my own.”

As Provost, Dr. Horacek works hard to support the academic programs, faculty, and staff so they in turn can better serve the university as a whole. “I see my role here to be one of serving the best interests of the university—its students, faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Trustees. These elements all work as parts of each other and must be taken as a whole to make the very best decisions.”

He sees his position as one to guide those here at the university. “Building trusting relationships is an essential component of my role here.” He continues, “I understand the importance of providing direction to our efforts, creating motivation and creativity, and allowing for setbacks. There are always setbacks. What I have learned in my career is that setbacks provide opportunities for growth and clarify pathways that lead to success.”

When envisioning his role in the future of the university, Dr. Horacek says, “I want to help RMUoHP become the premier health sciences university in the world. I am thankful for this opportunity to continue to develop RMUoHP, and I will work diligently and tirelessly on behalf of the University.”

For more information about Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and its inspiring leaders, visit the About Us webpage.