SUNY Fredonia has named Dr. Terry Brown as its new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the second-highest position at the university.
Dr. Brown has spent 24 years in the University of Wisconsin system, including serving as Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is presently part of the University of Wisconsin’s System Administration, serving in its Office of Academic and Student Affairs to lead integrated academic, budget and facilities planning. She will begin in her new role at SUNY Fredonia on July 1.
Dr. Brown will oversee the Academic Affairs division, which has an annual budget of approximately $30 million and roughly 370 faculty and staff (full-time equivalent). She will oversee the curricula and staffing of 24 academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, School of Business, and new College of Visual and Performing Arts, which will be founded in summer 2013. In addition, she will oversee Reed Library, Information Technology Services, Graduate Studies and Research, Lifelong Learning and Special Programs, International Education, the Learning Center, and the Registrar’s Office.
“Dr. Brown’s selection comes following a national search that resulted in applications from across the U.S., and I am very excited that she will be joining our team,” said SUNY Fredonia President Virginia Horvath. “She has a highly impressive blend of academic and administrative experience in such areas as accreditation, assessment, recruitment and retention, shared governance, organizational restructuring, community engagement, diversity initiatives, and international partnerships — all of which are key areas of focus here at Fredonia.”
Brown was especially drawn to the Fredonia opportunity, she says, because of the campus’ culture and mission as a public liberal arts university, which closely align with her own beliefs, experiences and values. She also noted that Wisconsin’s Parkside and River Falls campuses are of similar enrollment size to Fredonia’s.
“SUNY Fredonia has many attractive attributes and areas of distinction,” said Brown. “I was particularly impressed by the accomplishments of the faculty as both teachers and scholars, the commitment of the staff to provide students with a high quality education inside and outside the classroom, the exceptional beauty of its campus and the excellence of its facilities, and the reputation of its students as engaged scholars and campus citizens. I am very excited to begin this new challenge, and look forward to helping Fredonia implement its new baccalaureate goals and strategic plan.”
Brown holds bachelor and master’s degrees in English from Virginia Tech University, and earned her doctorate, also in English, from the University of Florida. She has 20 publications to her credit, has given dozens of presentations at conferences in the U.S. and abroad, and has secured funding through more than 20 grants.
“I also wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Kevin Kearns, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who has been ably serving in this role since July 1, 2012, and will continue to do so until Dr. Brown begins,” President Horvath added. “Because of his leadership of this division, Academic Affairs will have a smooth transition as we continue to implement the strategic plan and work on other initiatives.”
