Dr. Debbie Storrs
Office of the Provost
201 Mossman Building
PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
Jennifer Johnson
Assistant to the Provost
(336) 334-5395
Dear faculty, staff, and students,
UNC Greensboro has transformed over the years, starting as a segregated normal school for women into a diverse, thriving metropolitan residential campus. As Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, my job is to work in collaboration with our committed and talented faculty and staff to ensure we continue to serve students today and tomorrow. In doing so, we collectively are supporting a broader mission of justice, democracy, and knowledge.
I’m honored to serve as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor at this inspiring university. I know the power of education to transform the lives of students, their families, and their communities. Like many of our students, I was a first-generation college student, and federal Pell Grants helped make my pathway possible. As the chief academic officer, I endeavor to ensure that all students, like me, have the opportunity to find and pursue their academic dreams at UNC Greensboro and set the foundation for their professional and civic lives. I work for faculty and staff in such that they can excel in their vocation at UNCG, which is essential for providing opportunities for our students. And I strive to lead with courage, compassion, humility, fairness and understanding, with a steadfast focus on how to best position UNCG and our students for the future. Students will find a broad array of academic programs, engaging and exciting learning opportunities, and a strong co-curricular experience that will help them connect with people like themselves, and with those who differ. Through these experiences, students will learn much about the world and themselves, and, as Spartans forever, be well positioned to serve their community, support their families, and contribute to a more just society.
As a Doctoral University with high research activity and deep community engagement, our institution serves almost 20,000 students including 3,700 graduate students. We are proud to stand as the most diverse public university in North Carolina ranking number one in the state for social mobility. These accomplishments reflect the opportunities available at UNCG, our commitment to serving, and success in graduating students from a wide range of backgrounds and circumstances. They demonstrate that UNCG’s strong academic programs, sincere commitment to real-world learning experiences, talented and caring staff and faculty, a vibrant and engaged student body, and an enduring future-focused vision welcome all who see UNCG as the place to prepare their way. Our collective UNCG accomplishments clearly reveal that students have the courage, resolve, and enthusiasm to take advantage of the doors they can open here. The full pride of UNCG rests on our students’ success, accomplishments, and leadership now and as Spartans forever.
The teacher-scholar model embraced by faculty at UNCG fully integrates with student success and encompasses the UNCG educational mission. The model combines a passion for scholarship and discovery with a strong commitment to teaching excellence. At UNCG, many of our faculty engage in community-engaged scholarship, researching local problems and engaging students and the community during the discovery process. Many of our faculty are engaged in externally funded research and creative activity, as they explore and research questions of importance to the region, nation, and world. Faculty scholarship and creative activities inform our students, contribute to our society, and transform our experience and understanding of the world. The hallmark of the teacher-scholar model is that it engages students directly in their own learning and infuses learning with discovery. It’s what we do at UNCG.
I extend my appreciation to UNCG faculty and staff and welcome all students. I thank all of our wonderful alumni, the City of Greensboro, and all our partners and stakeholders. So much has been done, and I look forward to more we can do for our students and community. I will do all I can, working with UNCG, UNC System and state leadership to ensure we live up to our mission. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns, ideas, or strategies to enhance our ability to serve our students and community, and ways we can support excellence at UNC Greensboro.
Yours in service,
Debbie
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Debbie Storrs
Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor