New Mexico State University has selected Dorothy Campbell as its interim provost and chief academic officer, Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced on Tuesday. Campbell begins her role next month.
“I’m very pleased to announce that Dr. Dorothy (Dee Dee) Campbell will be joining us as our interim provost and chief academic officer,” Arvizu said. “She is remarkably talented and received an overwhelming amount of supportive feedback from our university community during our recent open forums. I’m excited and looking forward to having her join us on March 1.”
Campbell most recently served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs at Texas A&M University, where she managed staff in a diversity initiative to secure the commitment of chief academic officers to follow through with annual diversity reporting.
In the past, she has served as interim College of Liberal Arts & Sciences dean at Frostburg State University and Nevada State College, where she led faculty through a major reorganization involving the merging and creation of new departments.
“I am very excited about coming to New Mexico State University for so many reasons,” Campbell said. “I’m excited because it’s a Hispanic Serving Institution, and I love what I’m seeing about that in the university’s strategic plan – the values and goals represented there – because those are near and dear to my heart.
“I not only work in diversity, that’s just who I am and the way that I live – it’s something to which I have dedicated my life,” she added.
Campbell also cited the university’s curricular programs, outreach, and emphasis on sustainability as areas that drew her to serving NMSU, along with the work currently underway on border issues and student success.
“This work is helping first-generation students and families change their lives,” Campbell said. “I’m interested in working with faculty, staff, students and administrators to continue to move the university forward.”
Ultimately, Campbell said, her goal is to help NMSU identify a really strong permanent candidate for the provost position.
Campbell earned a bachelor’s degree in speech education from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in speech communication from Central Missouri State University, and a Ph.D. in education with an emphasis in speech from the Ohio State University.
Campbell will serve as interim provost while the university undertakes a national search to identify a permanent provost. More information on that search will be available at webcomm.nmsu.edu/hire once it is underway.
Renay Scott, who has been serving as acting provost since November, will return full-time to her duties as vice president of Student Success.