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������Ƶ announced today the hiring of Loury Ollison Floyd, Ph.D., as the inaugural assistant provost for academic operations. A well-respected educator with more than 25 years of experience in higher education, Floyd will begin her new role on July 1.

As assistant vice provost for academic operations, Floyd will collaborate with faculty and staff on external grants to enhance academic affairs initiatives; serve as SACSCOC liaison; partner with the provost on all accreditation efforts on campus; and enhance and provide faculty development with respect to scholarship, leadership and mentoring.

Floyd comes to ������Ƶ from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where she is a professor and dean of the School of Education. At UNC Pembroke, Floyd worked to secure funding from the United States Department of Education Office of Indian Education, Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, and the Anonymous Trust. Funding for these initiatives totaled $4.5 million and was focused on creating culturally responsive curricula and diversifying the teacher workforce.

“This position is key to enhancing academic affairs’ goals of increasing revenue from external grants, supporting faculty and leadership development, and holistically supporting accreditation efforts,” said Jennifer Burris, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Floyd is a highly accomplished scholar and administrator, and I am confident that she will help us to achieve these goals. I am thrilled to welcome her to the ������Ƶ community.”

Before UNC Pembroke, Floyd served as associate dean of Educator Preparation and Undergraduate Programs in the College of Education at North Carolina A&T State University. She has written numerous mini-grants and collaborated with students to create home-learning toolkits for families. She also has co-authored articles published in Teacher Education and Special Education, Intervention in School and Clinic, Academic Exchange Quarterly, The Educational Forum, The Clearing House and The Centroid. Floyd has also co-authored two book chapters, “Relationships In and Outside the Inclusive Classroom” and “Response to Intervention and Inclusion: Facilitating Collaborative Arrangements.”

“I am absolutely thrilled to join ������Ƶ in this new role. It's an incredible opportunity to be part of such a dynamic and innovative team,” said Floyd. “I look forward to bringing my skills and experience to contribute to the continued success and growth within the ������Ƶ community. I am excited to collaborate with talented colleagues and make a meaningful impact in Academic Affairs.”

A first-generation college graduate, Floyd has a bachelor’s degree in special education from North Carolina A&T University, a master’s degree in special education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Ph.D. in educational policy, planning and leadership at the College of William & Mary.