In Memoriam: Melissa Elizabeth Exum, 1960-2015

Melissa Exum, who held several high level administration posts in higher education, died at her home in Richmond, Virginia, on April 22. She was 54 years old.

From 2014 to February 2015, Dr. Exum was vice provost for academic affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Earlier in her career, she served as associate vice president of student affairs at Ohio University in Athens, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and vice president for student affairs at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Dr. Exum was a native of Warrenton, North Carolina. She held a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Exum went on to earn a master’s degree in medical sociology from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and a doctorate in higher education administration from Ohio University.