Bennett College News August 7, 2012 Bennett College Welcomes Dr. Joyce Blackwell, Senior Associate Provost Bennett College officials are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Joyce Blackwell as Senior Associate Provost. An avid enthusiast for academics, Dr. Blackwell is expected to play an important role in enhancing the College's academic programs. Noting the quality of her past accomplishments in both teaching and academic program building, Provost Millicent Rainey expressed excitement at the wealth of experience Dr. Blackwell brings to the College and welcomed her "with open arms." Blackwell joins the Bennett family after years of exemplary service to higher education. Having begun her career as a history instructor at North Carolina Central University, she later accepted a position as an assistant professor of history and African-American studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. From there, the scholar's interests broadened to the field of women's studies, and she became co-director of UNC-Charlotte's women's and gender studies program. It was at Meredith College, however, that she developed one of the largest women's studies programs in the southeastern United States. Responding to her long time commitment to the mission of Historically Black Colleges, Dr. Blackwell joined the faculty at Saint Augustine's College in 2001 , and for the next eight years, served variously as the chair of the department of history, government and public policy; as the dean of social sciences and as the vice president for academic affairs. Dr. Blackwell comes to Bennett from South Carolina State University where she served as vice president for academic affairs and tenured professor in the department of history. Blackwell's time at SCSU yielded various accomplishments, including the establishment of an honors college, a center for teaching and learning, and a weekend college for adult learners. She is also credited with having increased graduation and retention rates, global initiatives, online degree availability, and created new graduate program degrees. The senior associate provost expects to become a fully engaged member of the Bennett family. "I am excited about joining an institution with such a long and storied history," she said. "I look forward to working with Bennett College's faculty, staff, students, administrators and trustees as we continue to build on the College's solid academic foundation." Besides being a prolific educator, Blackwell is also the author of No Peace Without Freedom: Race and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1915-1975 as well as numerous scholarly articles, having presented at over 50 professional conferences. A highly sought commentator and public speaker, Blackwell has also received numerous recognitions and awards for being an exemplary educator and scholar. She is a member of several professional organizations that emphasize education, HBCUs and women. Blackwell earned her BA and MA degrees in history and education from North Carolina Central University and her Ph.D. in women's history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She possesses the Academically-Gifted certification as well as North Carolina and Virginia "A" and "G" teaching certificates in secondary social studies, language arts and drama. President Esther Terry joined Provost Millicent Rainey in welcoming Dr. Blackwell to the Bennett Family: " I am profoundly grateful that Dr. Blackwell has agreed to join us at Bennett-and I am fully confident that she will soon be recognized by all as an important, energizing force for all of our best efforts at providing a first-rate education to the women who entrust their education to us". SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.