Assistant Vice President for University Housing
Email: BARNESA1@mailbox.sc.edu
Phone: 803-777-4129
Dr. April Barnes is a nationally recognized housing and student affairs leader with more than 25 years of progressive experience advancing student success through residential education, strategic operations, and collaborative campus leadership. As Assistant Vice President for University Housing at the University of South Carolina, she provides executive oversight for a 9,800-bed residential system, leading residence life, facilities and custodial operations, capital construction and renovations, housing operations and assignments, information technology, budgeting, and assessment. She oversees approximately 180 professional staff and 700 student and part-time employees and manages an $85 million auxiliary budget.
Dr. Barnes has led transformative initiatives including a $210 million, 1,800-bed construction project, a comprehensive housing master and asset management plan, implementation of a residential curriculum grounded in engagement and belonging, and the creation of a First-Generation Living-Learning Community. She also serves as Incident Commander for Fall Opening and sits on the University’s Emergency Management, Threat Assessment, SEED Team, and Graduation & Retention teams.
Prior to joining South Carolina, Dr. Barnes served as Assistant Vice President of Campus Life at Eastern Kentucky University, where she supervised Housing, Student Life, First Year Programs, and Multicultural Student Affairs. In this role, she led major organizational restructuring, increased residential retention, advanced living-learning and student engagement initiatives, and implemented a comprehensive five-day pre-matriculation program serving all 2,700 new first-year students.
A respected leader in the profession, Dr. Barnes currently serves as President of the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO). She has been recognized with the SEAHO Outstanding Senior Housing Professional of the Year award and received Best Article of the Year honors for the SEAHO Report. She remains actively engaged in ACUHO-I and NASPA, contributing to the advancement of the field nationally.
Dr. Barnes earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Eastern Kentucky University, with research focused on residential learning communities and first-generation student success. She has been married for 25 years and is the proud mother of two daughters and a son. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time outdoors and on the water with her family.