UNC Greensboro Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Debbie Storrs announced two provost fellows will join the UNCG academic leadership team. Professor Regina McCoy will serve as Provost Fellow for Student Success, and Professor Tracy Nichols will serve as Provost Fellow for Faculty Development. During this academic year and summer of 2022, the fellows will ensure UNCG makes progress on two important areas of priority:
- increasing student retention and student success, and
- supporting and advancing faculty development.
Both McCoy and Nichols will devote 50 percent of their time as provost fellows while focusing the other 50 percent on their home department, research, and teaching. McCoy will work with Provost Storrs, academic deans, department heads, directors, and chairs, Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Andrew Hamilton and others to heighten and support faculty engagement in our student retention efforts. Nichols will collaborate with Provost Storrs, Chancellor Fellow for Campus Climate Andrea Hunter, Senior Vice Provost Alan Boyette academic deans, department chairs, heads, directors, and others to advance faculty development initiatives.
“Our success in advancing these priorities will depend on everyone’s engagement in these two important areas of campus life,” said Provost Storrs. “Each of us brings expertise and experience that can further our shared goals and enhance UNCG. I invite, encourage, and ask that the provost fellows – and each of us – engage as fully as possible towards these efforts. Everyone’s voice, ideas, experience, and commitment matter. Individual and collective contributions will create a more inclusive, stronger culture at UNCG where our students and faculty can thrive. I’m so pleased to work alongside two faculty leaders who bring extensive expertise, ideas, and success to important priorities for UNCG. Faculty are critically important in retaining students. Provost Fellow McCoy and Nichols will work closely with faculty and staff to identify ways they can enhance their contributions in the key University initiatives.”
“I am excited to focus my energy on creating robust, proactive services that enable students to receive a richer level of care across all of their transitional periods. As we help students build on their strengths and find the skills, knowledge, and support they need to be successful in their college journey and next steps in life, I see this as the mantra: No academic distress, just academic success! I have an incredible amount of respect for the Integrated Student Success Initiative Team and hope they are ready for the passion and energy I bring to all that I do.” – Provost Fellow McCoy
Provost Fellow Nichols will help lead efforts regarding faculty development including advancing the work that emerged from faculty senate on best practices to recognize equity, diversity, and inclusion in annual, promotion, and tenure processes; and how to equitably recognize the work and contributions of our professional faculty.
“I am excited for this opportunity to work alongside the Provost and others across campus to enhance and extend our current efforts on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Faculty development has long been a passion of mine and I believe it is a critical leverage point for change.” – Provost Fellow Nichols
Both provost fellows have extensive experience with advancing equity and inclusion. Their efforts in student retention and faculty development will be infused with a diversity and inclusion lens.
Story and photography provided by the Office of the Provost
