“Drawing on his leadership experience at some of the leading metropolitan universities in the nation, Dr. Avery has the experience and credentials USC Spartanburg requires to advance its own metropolitan mission to levels of regional and national prominence,” said John C. Stockwell, chancellor of USC Spartanburg. “He has an excellent track record of academic leadership, linking the strengths of faculty with the interests of students and the needs of the region his institution serves.”

Avery will serve as the chief academic officer and second ranking administrative officer of the Spartanburg campus. He will oversee the Academic Affairs Division, which consists of the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business administration and economics, education, and nursing, as well as, the library and the enrollment management offices “Outstanding chief academic officers bring a deep understanding of and passion for the core values of higher education embodied in the engagement between faculty and students in the shared process of learning,” Avery said. “My personal leadership journey is driven by a passion for the opportunity we have to impact the lives of students in a strong community of educators.”

Avery is currently provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alma College, a private, Phi Beta Kappa institution in Michigan. While at Alma College, Avery secured significant grants, including the acquisition of a $2 million Lilly Endowment Foundation Grant in support of the college’s Lilly Foundation Vocations Project and $250,000 in funding for the Andison Scholarship and Faculty Development Initiative in support of learning and teaching

Avery’s other work experience includes positions at the School of Social and Community Services at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, associate professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the College of Human Services at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

Avery also has been a tenured associate professor and chair of the administration and planning program of the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and vice president for academic affairs at Kentucky State University.

Avery earned a Ph.D. from the School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and has completed post-doctoral and professional development study at Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management and its Management Development Program and the Snowmass Institute on Strategic Planning for College and University Executives. Avery has published frequently in social science journals and has secured several research and program grants.

Rick Krueger, an associate professor of chemistry at USC Spartanburg, chaired the search committee.

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