As a reminder, this week, finalist candidates for the Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs (EVP-ASA) will be interviewed on campus on Monday, March 14; Tuesday, March 15; Thursday, March 17; and Friday, March 18. All Campus Forums on each of those days will occur in the Automotive Showroom from 3 to 4 p.m. Please plan to attend and participate.

If you are unable to attend, DVDs of each EVP-ASA Campus Open Forum will available in the Library on the day of a candidate’s Forum.

• Viewing of the DVDs will occur in the Library and will not be available for check-out.
• Feedback forms (on paper) will be available for those viewing the DVDs to complete.  (A lockbox in which to place completed feedback forms will be in the Library.)
• The deadline for viewing DVDs and submitting feedback forms is 5 p.m. on Monday, March 21, 2016.

Today’s EVP-ASA candidate is Dr.Carol A. Blackshire-Belay:

Dr. Carol A. Blackshire-Belay is a Higher Education Consultant with Onward Education, and has more than 25 years in senior-level academic administration and as a faculty member. She is regularly sought after to help higher education institutions promote and expand superior graduate and undergraduate education, and has accomplished that at a number of leading institutions across the country, e.g., The Ohio State University, Temple University, Indiana State University, University of North Carolina System, University of Wisconsin System, and California State University System.

She holds Ph.D. and MA degrees from Princeton University, as well as a Magister Artium from the Ludwigs-MaximiIians UniversItät München, In Munich, Germany, a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, all In Germanic Linguistics. She also has an Associate of Art’s degree from Oakland Community College, With more than 45 books, scholarly articles, and book review publications to her credit, Dr. Blackshire-Belay is internationally recognized for her extensive publications and research contributions to the fields of Germanic Languages and Literatures, specifically Germanic Linguistics, language variation and change, and German colonial history on the continent of Africa. She has won numerous fellowships and grants, and has delivered keynote addresses, scholarly speeches, lectures, and workshops around the globe.

As a change agent she has honed an ability to provide strategic leadership through personal relationships over many years of distinguished academic service. My work as a change agent has taken on many forms. As former Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, she was instrumental in advancing the teaching and learning mission of Naropa University, while also serving as the campus liaison for the University’s reaffirmation of accreditation efforts directed by the Higher Learning Commission during its comprehensive visit to Naropa. In addition, she served as the university’s activity director for the federal Title III “Strengthening Institutions” grant, which focused on implementing the university’s undergraduate academic plan while also helping to expand the university’s capacity to serve low-Income students. During her tenure, Dr. Blackshire-Belay also provided oversight for the implementation of the 3-year reorganization plan of the Division of Academic Affairs.

As a college and university leader, Dr. Blackshire-Belay has dealt effectively with regulatory agencies, on the state and federal levels, developing and implementing policies on a variety of Issues, including strategic planning, evaluation, compliance, higher education program development and planning, and human resource management. As a very engaged and dedicated academic administrator, Dr. Blackshire-Belay is highly recognized for the instrumental role she has played in General Education reform, institutional and program accreditation, as well as program assessment and student outcomes. She has also been successful in the development and execution of community/technical college transfer-articulation agreements between two-year and four-year institutions, in particular in meeting the growing demands of more educational and diversified training programs for citizens within global society.

Dr. Blackshire-Belay’s educational background, academic administration, and consulting experience is diverse. She works with individuals one-on-one, as well as in team formats on college preparedness and planning toward success in degree completion. Providing training, mentoring, and personal and professional development to staff personnel, faculty, students, and college/university administrators, she is committed to making a difference in helping others in reaching their highest potential for success in college, the workplace, as well as in their personal lives.