Jaye Padgett named vice provost for the Division of Student Success

I am pleased to announce that Jaye Padgett, interim vice provost for the Division of Student Success, has been formally named to the position. The appointment is for three years, and went into effect July 1. Jaye had held the interim post since fall of 2015. Previous to that, starting in 2013, he worked half time as special assistant to the CP/EVC, focusing on increasing student retention and decreasing the time it takes for students to graduate.

Jaye, a professor of linguistics, is uniquely qualified to undertake this vital role. He has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the division since taking the helm. He also has extensive leadership experience as chair of the Academic Senate's Committee on Educational Policy and as chair of the Linguistics Department.

The appointment is a critical piece of a broader university strategy to strengthen student support inside and outside of the classroom. I will seek input in the coming months from key stakeholders regarding the division's scope and focus. Student Success provides direct support to a diverse undergraduate and graduate student body through a network of programs and services, while also coordinating student-supporting initiatives campuswide. The division’s ultimate goals are to promote educational equity and to boost the retention, time to degree, and graduation rates of our students.

Jaye earned a B.A. in linguistics and another one in Russian language from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1985. He received his Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1991 and was a visiting assistant professor for one year at Yale before joining our campus in 1992.

Please join me in thanking Jaye for taking on this critical role.