The Graduate School is pleased to announce the appointment of Jean Taylor Ellis, PhD, as the Interim Associate Dean for Student Success and Engagement in the Graduate School and Andrea M. Fleming, PhD, as the Associate Director for the Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program. Both appointments begin in August 2023.
Jean Taylor Ellis will provide leadership for Graduate School fellowship programs and professional development services. Ellis will bring years of experience in graduate education to her new role having served as the Vice Chair of the Graduate Council and the Director of the Presidential Fellowship Program in the Graduate School. She has also served as the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Geography where she is also a professor.
"With her student-focused vision for our fellowship programs and professional development portfolio, I anticipate richer and more relevant opportunities for our students.", said Ann Vail, the Graduate School's dean. "I know her energy and commitment will lead to strong developmental opportunities for the students we serve."
Professor Ellis, who joined the University of South Carolina faculty in 2009, is an alumna of the University of Southern California and Texas A&M University, where she earned her PhD in geography.
Andrea M. Fleming, as new associate director, will provide leadership for the Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program (GJMPP), a scholarly initiative created to address the underrepresentation of ethnically diverse faculty in the professoriate. Fleming brings more than 25 years of experience as a clinical mental health counselor to her role and is also a two-time alumna of the University of South Carolina and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Counselor Education in the USC College of Education, Department of Educational and Developmental Science.
Professor Fleming is also an alumna of the Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program and was a GJMPP fellowship recipient while completing her doctoral studies in counselor education at USC.