Two Women Scholars Named to Provost Positions at Historically Black Universities

Pam Jackson has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. She has been serving as interim provost since December 2017.

Dr. Jackson has been on the staff at the university for almost 13 years. She began her career as assistant dean for assessment and retention in the Broadwell College of Business and Economics from 2006 to 2007. She served as associate dean and pre-business director of the College of Business and Economics from 2007 to 2015.  Dr. Jackson served as dean of the College from August 2015 until her appointment as interim vice chancellor.

Dr. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Albion College in Michigan, a master of public administration degree from Troy University in Alabama, an MBA from Fayetteville State University, and a Ph.D. in information technology/information systems from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Adrienne Cooper has been named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

After earning her undergraduate degree, Dr. Cooper worked as an engineer with E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company at Jackson Laboratory. She then obtained a National Science Foundation Fellowship to work and study at the National Institute of Materials Research in Japan. She later went on to hold roles at various higher education institutions including the University of South Carolina, Florida A&M University, and South Carolina State University. Most recently, she served as associate provost at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.

Dr. Cooper holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Florida.