To: University of Tennessee, Knoxville Faculty and Staff
From: Provost Robert Holub
Re: Appointment of Special Assistant to Provost
Date: March 1, 2007
Today I bring you good news about our efforts to improve student retention at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I am delighted to announce to the campus the appointment of Dr. Terrell Strayhorn as the Special Assistant to the Provost, effective March 1, 2007.
As a nationally recognized authority on student retention issues, Dr. Strayhorn will bring talent, energy and enthusiasm to our retention efforts and will work in this 25 percent appointment with me, with Vice Provost Todd Diacon, and with Assistant Vice Provost Ruth Darling on retention and retention-related issues. As many of you know, we’ve identified improving student retention as among the most important challenges we face as an institution. The addition of Dr. Strayhorn to our office will undoubtedly assist us in tackling this issue.
Dr. Strayhorn is assistant professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling. He has teaching responsibilities in both the master’s College Student Personnel program and the doctoral Higher Education Administration program. Among his many research interests are questions concerning student retention and persistence. Recently Dr. Strayhorn was honored with the Outstanding Junior Scholar Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education and selected as a 2007 Emerging Scholar by the American College Personnel Association. He was described as “one of the most visible, productive, and highly regarded new scholars in his field.”
Dr. Strayhorn received his B.A. degree from the University of Virginia, his M.Ed. degree in educational policy from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in higher education from Virginia Tech. Before coming to the University of Tennessee in 2005, he has served as instructor or graduate teaching assistant at the University of Virginia, Marymount University, and Virginia Tech.
Dr. Strayhorn is author of two books titled Frameworks for Assessing Learning and Development Outcomes (2006) and Money Matters: Examining the Influence of Financial Aid on Graduate Student Persistence (2006). He has authored over 32 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other scholarly works. In addition, Dr. Strayhorn has presented over 57 papers at international and national higher education and student affairs conferences. His work has been published in the most prestigious journals in his field including the Journal of College Student Development, The NASPA Journal, and the Journal of College Student Retention.
We are quite fortunate to have someone with Dr. Strayhorn’s qualifications and energy assisting us in our efforts to improve student retention on the Knoxville campus. His scholarly expertise and insight into student life will prove invaluable as we seek ways to make the Knoxville campus a more welcoming place and more attractive learning environment for its undergraduates.