Board Members

Jennifer Brown (first term: 2020-2023; second term: 2023-2026) is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP). Dr. Jennifer Brown served as the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education (VPDUE) and a Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). In her role as VPDUE, Dr. Brown led the undergraduate education division and spearheaded institutional student success efforts for 20,000+ undergraduates. Jennifer also oversaw persistence and retention initiatives, which entailed working closely with key campus stakeholders to foster inter-institutional collaborations.

Prior to UCR, Dr. Brown served as the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at Oregon State University (OSU) and a professor in the Department of Horticulture. At OSU, she managed 80+ graduate programs including 4,500 graduate students/post-docs and 2,000 graduate faculty. At OSU she created an integrated extension, teaching, and research program that answered marketing questions related to start-up businesses, trends in entrepreneurship, forms of ownership, consumer behavior analysis, and business planning procedures. Her expertise and knowledge base in the specialty crop industry has been recognized nationally as she was appointed to the National Agricultural Statistics Service advisory committee. She was also the inaugural Director of Distance Education where she created the concept of AgOnline.

Dr. Brown earned her Ph.D. in Horticulture with an emphasis in Marketing and Consumer Behavior in 2004 from Michigan State University. A focus of her research has been supply-chain demand and consumer preferences, and she has been the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. She received an M.S. degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) with an emphasis in agribusiness and survey methodology in 2001 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Her baccalaureate degree is in Ornamental Horticulture from UIUC.

jlbrown1@cpp.edu

Dr. Melanie Carter (first term: 2019-2022; second term: 2022-2025) is Associate Provost & Director of the Center for HBCU Research, Leadership, and Policy and Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University. Dr. Carter’s research focuses on the history of HBCUs and pre-desegregation Black professional organizations, the accreditation of HBCUs, and the impact of race and equity on postsecondary access and success.

From 2007-2012, Dr. Carter served as a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Affairs in the Howard University School of Education including one year as Acting Dean (2010-2011). In 2014, she was appointed Associate Provost of Undergraduate Studies. In this role, her focus is on undergraduate retention, degree completion, and overall student success. In addition to leading the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Carter teaches doctoral courses in the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies (HELPS) program, specifically the History of Higher Education and Black Women in Higher Education Leadership. Dr. Carter’s research focuses on the history of higher education institutions, specifically HBCUs and pre-desegregation Black professional organizations, the intersection of race, culture, class, and gender in higher education policy and leadership, the relationship between social justice equity and postsecondary access, and identifying impactful student success and retention strategies at HBCUs and at MSIs (Minority-serving Institutions). In the summer of 2019, she served as a Fulbright Specialist at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where she provided guidance on empirically-based student success practices. 

Dr. Carter is the recipient of several other fellowship/research awards, including a Spencer Fellowship to serve as a scholar-in-residence at Emory University ,a Faculty Resource Network award to serve as a scholar-in-residence at New York University (NYU), and was a recipient of the UNCF's Henry C. McBay Research Fellowship Award. Her publications have appeared in Educational Researcher, the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin.

Dr. Carter earned a B.A. in English Literature and Language at Ohio University, a M.A. in English Education at Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. She also completed the HERS in Higher Education Leadership Program at Bryn Mawr College.

melcarter@howard.edu

William (Bill) Davis (first term: 2023-2026) is a Professor of Biochemistry and Interim Vice Provost at Washington State University (WSU). Bill has been at WSU for 22 years and has been in leadership for 15 years serving in the past as his department’s Undergraduate Studies Director and the first Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). In his current role, Bill oversees a diverse portfolio that includes advising, tutoring, career services, multiple TRIO programs, undergraduate research, distinguished scholarships, general education, the WSU Writing Program, program assessment, and other duties as assigned.

Outside of WSU, Bill has held leadership positions in other education non-profits including serving on the external board for Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), being an annual STEM Leadership Institute coach and institute leader, a lead facilitator for the Mobile Summer Institutes for Scientific Teaching, and he is the Treasurer and a Board member for the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE). Through these experiences, Bill brings experience with system thinking, alternative governance structures, department-level transformation, coaching, and leadership development.

During his time at WSU, Bill has strongly supported the core tenets of the 2030 Boyer Report. Before his current role in the Provost’s Office, Bill’s scholarship was in Biology Education Research and his 450-550 student introductory biology course served as a laboratory to investigate equity and excellence in teaching and learning. He used interventions like project-based laboratories, argumentation, prosocial course structures, and growth mindset interventions to eliminate equity gaps for students from first-generation backgrounds and students with high levels of adverse childhood experiences. This latter work was directly related to nurturing the mental health and well-being of all students enrolled in his class. Bill served for 20 years as a faculty academic advisor for over 400 students, including students in the WSU Team Mentoring Program for underrepresented students, a high-ability BS-to-PhD 7 year fast-track program, pre-health, and across four BS degree programs. Through his membership in the WSU CVM Teaching Academy and the Western States CVM Teaching Academy, Bill worked on new tools for peer evaluation of teaching and teaching portfolios to support tenure and promotion. During his time as his department’s undergraduate studies director, Bill was responsible for leading program assessment and annual reporting related to the educational outcomes for students across three degree programs. Most recently, Bill has led WSU’s participation in the UERU Curricular Analytics project to support reviews of WSU’s 180 degrees.

wbdavis@wsu.edu

Paul Dosal (first term: 2018-2021; second term: 2021-2024) is the University of Central Florida's Senior Vice President for Student Success. In this position, Dr. Dosal reports to the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs and serves as a member of the president’s cabinet to develop, implement and assess initiatives and programs that provide focus and accountability for student success, well-being and completion efforts across the institution. He is also responsible for cultivating an integrated, comprehensive and intentional student experience by creating an inclusive and student-centered environment that ensures all students who start here can finish here.

Previously, Dr. Dosal served as Vice President for Student Success and Professor of Latin American History at the University of South Florida, where he managed a consolidated unit that combined Enrollment Planning and Management, Student Affairs and Undergraduate Studies and was responsible for coordinating university-wide efforts to raise retention and graduation rates, boost student satisfaction, minimize financial indebtedness, and prepare all students for success in their careers or graduate and professional schools. In his academic role, he specialized in the modern history of Cuba and the Caribbean region. He is the author of four books, including Comandante Che, a study of the military career of the legendary Latin American revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, and Doing Business with the Dictator, a history of the infamous United Fruit Company in Guatemala in the early 20th century.

Born and raised in Tampa, he is a fourth-generation descendant of Cuban immigrants who settled in Ybor City in 1889. He earned his B.A. in International Politics at St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He received his M.A. in Latin American Studies and Ph.D. in History at Tulane University in New Orleans. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of South Florida, he taught for nine years at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Paul.Dosal@ucf.edu

In his role as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Steven Girardot (first term: 2023-2026) has devoted his career to enhancing the transformative potential of higher education and supporting students in realizing its benefits at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Girardot has over 20 years of experience in leading undergraduate education. From 2011-2021, he served as the Assistant, Associate, and then Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Georgia Tech. In 2022, he was appointed as the Vice Provost (VPUE). Prior to these roles, Dr. Girardot held leadership positions in student affairs, academic success as well as the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). In all his roles, Dr. Girardot has found that his strengths are bringing people together to address challenges; creating programs and systems that support their goals; and building collaborations among stakeholders. These strengths will be particularly important as UERU continues to advance the Boyer 2030 recommendations.

Outside of Georgia Tech, he has a track record of experience in national organizations. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. He served as Annual Conference Chair and then President of the North American Association of Summer Sessions (NAASS) from 2017-2021. In 2021, Dr. Girardot received the Distinguished Service Award recognizing his service and leadership. He has been an evaluator for SACSCOC, including several QEPs. In 2009, he worked with Penguin Random House to establish and serve on its higher education advisory board for common reading programs. Finally, he currently works with Rachel Holloway (UVP at Virginia Tech) to re-establish a network of UVPs from the ACC schools.

Although his academic background is in chemistry and public health, the focus of Dr. Girardot's scholarly work has been student success and transition. He regularly presents on topics and serves on panels related to student success and transition. In 2020, he and his co-presenters were recognized for Outstanding Research Presentation at the AACRAO SEM conference. In 2022, he received a Fulbright IEA fellowship for France, and he completed two of Harvard’s leadership development programs in 2013 (MDP) and 2023 (MLE).

steven.girardot@gatech.edu

Amy Goodburn, President & Chair of the Board (first term: 2016-2019; second term: 2019-2025), is Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Undergraduate Education and Professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) where she leads units in advising and career development, teaching and learning, and student retention and transition. Passionate about UNL’s land-grant mission to support access and equity, in 2017 she created First Generation Nebraska, a campus initiative to support first generation scholars. Goodburn has served as a board member and president for UERU, a board member for UNIZIN, and a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission. She was UNL’s institutional lead for the APLU Powered by Publics initiative from 2018-2023 and has led UNL’s First Scholars participation since 2018. From 2001-2013, Goodburn co-coordinated UNL’s Peer Review of Teaching Project, a faculty development program to document and assess student learning which won the 2006 TIAA-CREFF Hesburgh award. Her publications include Inquiry into the College Classroom: A Model for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Making Teaching and Learning Visible: Peer Review and Course Portfolios. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Miami University and two Masters’ degrees in English Education and English and a Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric from The Ohio State University.

agoodburn1@unl.edu

Gregory L. Heileman (first term: 2018-2021; second term: 2021-2024), currently serves as the Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Arizona, where he is responsible for facilitating collaboration across campus to strategically enhance institutional capacity related to academic administration. He has served in various administrative capacities in higher education since 2004. His experience includes work in the areas of faculty development, institutional research, accreditation and academic program review, curriculum management, student success, academic advisement, tutoring, student health & wellbeing, student conduct, budget and finance, economic development, policy development, information technology and data governance, and strategic planning. 

From 2017-2019, he served as the Associate Provost for Student & Academic Life and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky, where he was responsible for providing vision, leadership and strategic direction for campus-wide student success efforts, while also serving as the university’s Chief Student Affairs Officer. From 2011-2017, he served as the Associate Provost for Curriculum and then as the Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning and Innovation at the University of New Mexico (UNM). During that time, he led campus-wide student academic success initiatives, and worked with key stakeholders on campus, to produce all-time record retention and graduation rates.

His work as a professor began in 1990 when he joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at UNM. He subsequently advanced through the academic ranks to Professor. He has more than 170 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of machine learning and data analytics, information security, and student success in higher education. His research activities have generated more than $9,000,000 in external funding, and he has served as the advisor for 48 M.S. and Ph.D. students. From 2005-2011, he served as Associate Chair (Director of Undergraduate Programs) and led the department through two ABET accreditation visits. In 2011 he became an ABET program evaluator. In 2009, he was also awarded the IEEE Albuquerque Section Outstanding Educator Award. He was the recipient of ECE’s Lawton-Ellis Award for combined excellence in teaching, research, and student/community involvement in 2001 and again in 2009. He held ECE’s Gardner Zemke Professorship from 2005-08. He received the School of Engineering's Teaching Excellence award in 1995, and the ECE Department Distinguished Teacher Award in 2000. In 1998, he held a research fellowship at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and in 2005 he held a similar position at the Universidad Politénica de Madrid.

He earned a BA in Biology from Wake Forest University, a MS in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1986, and his PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

heileman@arizona.edu

Rachel Holloway (first term: 2018-2023; second term: 2021-2024) leads strategies, programs, and resources that support the undergraduate educational experience at Virginia Tech. She works closely with college deans, associate deans, and other vice provosts to coordinate strategic initiatives to advance Virginia Tech’s undergraduate education profile, including current discussion on VT-shaped learning and curricular development surrounding Destination Areas.

Holloway directly oversees areas that enhance the overall undergraduate experience such as academic advising, undergraduate education programs and efforts, undergraduate academic integrity, student success programs, and student-athletes. Holloway has served on the faculty at Virginia Tech since 1989. She has progressed through academic administrative and leadership roles, having served as undergraduate program coordinator, assistant department head, and head of the Department of Communication. Prior to her current position, Holloway served as associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

rhollowa@vt.edu

Blanche M. Hughes (Host Institution Representative) is currently in her 15th year as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Colorado State University and serves on the President’s leadership team. In this role, she works with a Division that collaborates with other units in the University community providing support for our students and staff to be successful. Dr. Hughes teaches a first-year undergraduate seminar course, as well as teaches and advises in the Student Affairs in Higher Education graduate program.

Before becoming Vice President, Dr. Hughes spent six years as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, 11 years as the director of Black Student Services at Colorado State, and also served as a professor of the Sociology Department at Pikes Peak Community College for two years, one of those years as chair of the department.

Dr. Hughes received her bachelor’s degree from Earlham College, and a master’s of education degree and doctorate degree in sociology from Colorado State University. She enjoys teaching, mentoring students and staff, presenting on issues related to diversity, parent transitions, and issues around managing work and family. Dr. Hughes is married with four children (two are alums of CSU) and three grandchildren.

blanche.hughes@colostate.edu

Robert B. McMaster (first term: 2019-2022; second term: 2022-2025) is Professor of Geography and Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of Minnesota. From 2002-2005 he served as Associate Dean for Planning in the College of Liberal Arts and from 2005-2008 as Chair of the Department of Geography. He received a B.A. (cum laude) from Syracuse University in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Geography and Meteorology from the University of Kansas in 1983. He has held previous appointments at UCLA (1983-1988) and Syracuse University (1988-1989). At the University of Minnesota, his research interests include automated generalization (including algorithmic development and testing, the development of conceptual models, and interface design), environmental risk assessment (including assessing environmental injustice to hazardous materials, the development of new spatial methodologies for environmental justice, and the development of risk assessment models), Geographic information science and society (public participation GIS, alternative representations), and the history of U.S. academic cartography. Recently, he completed a five-year NSF-funded project to develop the “National Historical Geographic Information System”. He has published several books including: Map Generalization: Making Rules for Knowledge Representation (with B. Buttenfield), Generalization in Digital Cartography (with K. Stuart Shea), Thematic Cartography and Geographic Visualization (with T. Slocum, F. Kessler and H. Howard), and A Research Agenda for Geographic Information Science (with E. L. Usery).

Robert McMaster served as editor of the journal Cartography and Geographic Information Systems from 1990-1996, and the Association of American Geographers (AAG), Resource Publications in Geography. He served as Chair of both the AAG’s Cartography and Geographic Information Systems Specialty Groups, served three years on the National Steering Committee for the GIS/LIS ‘92, ‘93, and ‘94 conferences, was Co-Director (with Marc Armstrong) of the Eleventh International Symposium on Computer-Assisted Cartography (Auto-Carto-11), served on the U.S. National Committee to the International Cartographic Association, and as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Mapping at Ohio State University. He also served as President of the United States’ Cartography and Geographic Information Society and both Chair of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science’s (UCGIS) Research Committee and UCGIS Board Member (1999-2002, 2005-present, and President of UCGIS). In 1999, he was elected as a Vice President of the International Cartographic Association, and was re-elected in 2003. He was recently appointed to a three-year term on the National Research Council’s Mapping Science Committee.

He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in cartography, geographic information science/systems, spatial analysis and quantitative methods, and physical geography for nearly 25 years. At the University of Minnesota, he served as Director of Undergraduate Studies in geography and was a Member of the Council for Liberal Education from 2001-2002, and 2005-2007.

mcmaster@umn.edu

Hillary Procknow (first term: 2022-2025) is a student success advocate and campus leader in the area. She is dedicated to the practice of radical equity and access. Drawing on her academic background in psychology, cultural theory, and Continental philosophy, she has spent the past two decades working to make classrooms more inclusive and to enact campus policies that eliminate barriers for students.

Dr. Procknow currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Equity and Excellence in the School of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. This is a new position, bringing together campus-wide and college-specific success programs; a central advising office providing transitional and exploratory advising for students, as well as, professional development for campus advisors; the campus learning center; and the developmental education and college-readiness program.

During her ten years of heading the developmental education program at UT, Hillary was an enthusiastic voice in the conversation advocating for educational experiences that respect students’ dignity and the strengths they bring with them to classroom, particularly in developmental education reform. She has led state-wide faculty development in curricular cultural responsiveness and worked on legislative efforts to hold the state accountable for college and career readiness. Hillary has managed the state-mandated general education program for a campus of more than 40,000 undergraduates and overseen the required state and accreditation assessment and reporting. More recently, she has taken over the budgeting responsibilities and development of academic interventions for students who are least likely to graduate in four years.

Dr. Procknow earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University, where she focused on the philosophy of education. She also holds a master’s degree in architectural studies and an undergraduate degree in psychology, both from The University of Texas.

hillary.procknow@austin.utexas.edu

Janet Simon Schreck, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, FNAP (first term: 2018-2021; second term: 2021-2024) is the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Dr. Schreck joined Johns Hopkins University in December 2015 as the Assistant Vice Provost for Education. Dr. Schreck is responsible for collaborating with the Vice Provost of Graduate and Professional Education and a broad cross-section of the campus community to improve undergraduate and graduate education and providing oversight for academic compliance. Dr. Schreck serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chairs the University Committee on Learning Assessment, and serves as senior staff to the Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2).

A licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist with a focus on neurogenic disorders in adults, Dr. Schreck has published multiple articles and delivered numerous national presentations on the topics of cognitive-communication changes associated with typical aging as well as screening, assessment, and treatment of cognitive-communication disorders associated with dementia. Before joining Johns Hopkins University in the Provost’s Office, Dr. Schreck served as a full-time clinical faculty member in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at Loyola University Maryland where she taught a number of undergraduate, graduate, and clinical practicum courses. She also served as the Executive Director of the Loyola Clinical Centers (LCC), Loyola’s interdisciplinary training clinic where she created an administrative environment that facilitated state-of-the art training for students in four academic disciplines across two schools while simultaneously providing affordable, quality allied health and education services to more than 4,000 clients annually. Overseeing a $2.1 million annual program budget, she successfully led the LCC through completion of two strategic plans, doubled the number of graduate students trained, and tripled the number of clients served annually during her tenure. She also founded its inaugural philanthropic Board of Advisors.

Dr. Schreck earned her B.A. and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Loyola University Maryland and Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Dr. Schreck is a Fellow of the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association and a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow in the National Academy of Practice.

jschreck@jhu.edu

Doneka Scott (first term: 2020-2023; second term: 2023-2026) is the Vice Chancellor and Dean for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs at NC State University. She leads a division dedicated to preparing students to succeed academically, professionally and personally, to embrace a commitment to lifelong learning, and to become informed, engaged, and productive citizens.

Scott joined NC State in 2021 after serving as the Associate Vice Provost and Associate Dean for Student Success, then as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success at the University of Oregon. There she was responsible for the overall strategy and execution of undergraduate education and student success efforts on campus. She worked to eliminate institutional barriers that prohibit students from being successful and inhibit them from completing a degree program in a timely manner.

With the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, Scott manages the seamless integration of all aspects of undergraduate education, serves as a key strategic advisor to the provost and works to support the success of the whole student. Working closely with the Chancellor’s Cabinet, college deans, university faculty, and administrative colleagues, she leads all aspects of an innovative and coordinated delivery of student services.

Scott directs staff and resources to maximize impact on the curricular and co-curricular programs of the university, including the programs and services of University College; academic advising; academic enrichment programs; Exploratory Studies; cross-college interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary programs; advising technology; Health and Exercise Studies; Music; undergraduate courses, curricula and academic standards; Arts NC State (NC State LIVE, Crafts Center, Dance Program, Gregg Museum, University Theater, and Ticket Central); academic success programs; business administration, residential programs, and engagement; student development, health, and wellness. In addition to these areas, Scott also oversees the Office of Academic Support Programs for Student Athletes; assessment; development; student ombuds; and marketing and communications for the division.

doneka@ncsu.edu

Pamela Scully, Past President (first term: 2021-2024), serves as Advisor to the Provost on Student Flourishing, and Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Professor of African Studies at Emory University. As inaugural Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs (2018-2021), Pamela created a focus on first-generation and low-income students through university-wide programs and support, focusing especially on the academic needs of FLI students. She enhanced the recognition of faculty as key leaders in student success by creating committees focused on first-generation students and on the engagement of faculty in residential life. In addition, she initiated data analytic projects on gateway courses to explicitly support student success. As Co-Executive Director of the Emory Undergraduate Project (2018-2021), she created new alignments in enrollment across the four undergraduate schools, with a focus on enhancing the student experience. In 2013-14, Pamela led the university’s Quality Enhancement Program for SACSCOC accreditation on The Nature of Evidence, aimed at providing critical analytic skills to first-year students through the first-year seminar program. As Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Innovation (2013-2017), she directed the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence creating foci on inclusive pedagogies and on support for faculty research and writing. As Associate Provost for faculty affairs (2017-18), Pamela also directed Emory’s Academic Leadership Program and initiated the collaboration with other Atlanta schools and colleges to have their faculty participate in the program.

Pamela is a historian by training, receiving her undergraduate and MA degrees from the University of Cape Town, and her PhD from The University of Michigan. She is the author or co-author of five books, her most recent is Writing Transnational History (2019), co-authored with Fiona Paisley.

pamela.scully@emory.edu

Patrick Turner (first term: 2023-2026) has over 25 years of working in higher education, specializing in the areas of academic affairs, student support services, faculty development, curricula analytics student and persistence. Patrick serves as the Associate Vice President-Student Academic Success in the VP Office of Student Success & Enrollment Management and Director of the Men of Color Initiative. He holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration, a master’s degree in Human Resource Development, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership-Curriculum and Instruction. The VP collaborates with the Provost, Deans, Department Heads, Student Affairs, diversity programs, two-year colleges, and local high schools to address issues of social justice and educational access. With a research focus on the first-year experience, student retention, persistence, and academic success, his body of work investigates institutional factors that support or act as a barrier to the academic and social integration of students, particularly those from underrepresented, marginalized, and minoritized populations. Three years ago, Dr. Turner established the Men of Color Initiative at New Mexico State University which takes an asset-based approach to developing and engaging the intersecting identities of our male students.

The changing landscape of higher education requires leaders who have a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced and complex lives of a diverse population, possess the ability to navigate internal and external pressing issues, and take a student-centered approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Turner’s career has been spent working with students, faculty, staff, and institutions on integrating and operationalizing practices such as inclusive excellence, universal design learning, experiential learning, belonging & social identities, curricular complexity, and engaging a diverse population. In order to prepare students for the 21st century, institutions must reimagine and redefine the concept of student success.

Additionally, Dr. Turner is the Co-Principal Investigator (PI) on several grants through Undergraduate Education Research Universities (UERU) and APLU that analyze the impact of inclusive excellence and curricular analytics on generating equity in academic outcomes and closing the opportunity gap. Leadership services roles include membership on the Provost Council of African American Affairs, Western Land-grant Cluster for Association of Public Land Grant University (APLU), editorial board member for the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success (JPSS) at Florida State University, President of the National Organization of Student Success-Southwest chapter (NOSS) and professional coach for Complete College American (CCA) leadership academy for Predominantly Black and Historically Black Community Colleges (PBI/HBCU).

peturner@nmsu.edu

Nikos Varelas, President-elect (first term: 2022-2026) is Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Programs (VPUAAP) and Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois Chicago. As vice provost since August 2016, Dr. Varelas leads the student success efforts through a variety of initiatives, research, and project management.

Guided by data and national best practices, Dr. Varelas has initiated and advanced a variety of innovative programs that have contributed to significant improvements in student achievement and success, including a 33% increase in the 4-year graduation rate (57% increase in 4-year graduation rates for Latinx and for Black students) from 2015 to 2021. Such projects have included: high school transition coaching; tuition-free summer bridge programs; first-year experience reforms; holistic student support and success coaching; reducing barriers to degree completion; development of custom-made predictive analytics models to identify students who may encounter challenges toward graduation and to develop strategies to support them; academic advising reforms through the implementation of an integrated planning and advising system to facilitate communication, early alerts, and referrals; funded opportunities for students to conduct undergraduate research; a campus-wide student success innovation fund; and student emergency and degree completion funding. Several of these projects have attracted external funding from the U.S. Department of Education and foundations.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Varelas was Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. There he championed innovative policy changes, programs, and initiatives. These include the creation of one Bachelor’s and one Master’s program, four new minors and one concentration, and the revision of over a dozen degree programs. Among these new programs is the B.S. in Integrated Health Studies, a model of interdisciplinary, intercollegiate education. In collaboration with academic departments and colleges, Dr. Varelas introduced reforms that have led to significant improvements in student performance and success. One such reform was in calculus courses taken by more than 4,000 students across the campus. He also facilitated the growth and impact of the campus Learning Centers that support thousands of students every semester.

Dr. Varelas’ research is in the field of high-energy particle physics exploring the fundamental constituents of the universe and their interactions. He was a member of the team of scientists who discovered the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Switzerland.

Dr. Varelas has held several leadership positions in his field, including co-spokesperson of the Coordinated Theoretical-Experimental Project on QCD Collaboration, member of the Executive Committee of the American Physical Society’s Division of Particles and Fields, Chair of the Fermilab Users Executive Committee, and Senior Fellow of the LHC Physics Center at Fermilab.

He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a University of Illinois Scholar. His publication record exceeds 1,500 peer-reviewed journal articles and he has received more than $10 million in research funding. Dr. Varelas earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Rochester and his B.S. in Physics from the University of Athens, Greece.

varelas@uic.edu

Steven P. Dandaneau (ex officio, non-voting) is Executive Director of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities and Associate Provost at Colorado State University. In these roles, Dr. Dandaneau provides executive leadership for a national consortium of leading research universities focused on innovation and excellence in undergraduate education and he collaborates with colleagues to strengthen the undergraduate experience at CSU. Dr. Dandaneau previously served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies at Kansas State University; Associate Provost and Director of the Chancellor’s Honors and Halsam Scholars Programs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Visiting Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park; and Director, University Honors & John W. Berry, Sr. Scholars Programs at the University of Dayton. He earned a B.A. in Economics (with honors) from Michigan State University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Brandeis University.

Steven.Dandaneau@colostate.edu