December 7, 2021
From: Debbie Storrs, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor
To: Deans and Dept. Heads, Chairs, & Directors
RE: Announcing Dr. Connie Jones, Provost Fellow for Special Projects
I am delighted to announce that Connie Jones, Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling & Educational Development, is joining the UNCG academic leadership team as Provost Fellow for Special Projects beginning in summer 2022. In this role, Dr. Jones will focus efforts on organizing and curating a collaborative university-wide set of activities centered around health & wellness, attend to issues pertinent to the health and well-being of our faculty, staff, and students, and contribute to other special projects. She will report to me and work closely with the Provost’s office team and faculty across campus.
I’m pleased the faculty selected the theme of health and wellbeing for the next theme, and I look forward to Dr. Jones joining the leadership team. Health and wellbeing are of great importance to our campus. Many have shared their professional challenges with me, ranging from difficulty balancing work and family, the many demands experienced from across the institution, experiences of exclusion, microaggressions, anxiety over pending budget reductions due to enrollment decline, and overall exhaustion as a result of the global pandemic. Such experiences and realities take a toll on all of us and strain our ability to effectively serve and support our students. Dr. Jones’s scholarly expertise and interest in collaborative leadership will ensure we can better support one another, develop community, and, in doing so, help regenerate our enthusiasm when we need to. Steve Haines, Provost Fellow for the current She Can, We Can theme said, “We are so grateful that Dr. Jones will serve. Her passionate hard work, multicultural work in mental health, and her inclusiveness across campus disciplines will be of great benefit to all of us.”
Dr. Jones shared that she is “thrilled and honored to be selected to serve as Provost Fellow for Special Projects. I look forward to serving the UNCG community in this capacity. The focus on wellness is a vital component for every individual on this campus and in the community.” Please join me in congratulating Dr. Jones in this new role and watch for additional updates and opportunities from her in Fall of 2022.