Dr. Wallace Southerland III recently was appointed associate vice president of student affairs at Salisbury University.
Southerland comes to SU from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served as associate dean of students, director of minority student affairs and director of federal TRiO educational outreach programs.
There, he oversaw academic retention and support services, a tutoring center, academic mentoring services, several federal TRiO programs, grant writing, and collaborations with academic colleges. More recently, he coordinated assessment and was responsible for academic partnerships for student affairs.
“I am truly appreciative of this opportunity and excited to be a part of the SU family and community,” he said. “I am eager to join student affairs colleagues and so many others across the University and in the community as we all work collaboratively to advance and achieve our most treasured and honored mission: ensuring the success of all students from enrollment to commencement.”
As past president of the Maryland Executive Council for Educational Opportunities and Illinois TRiO, and a former board member of the Educational Opportunity Association (Midwest), Southerland has provided policy and fundraising leadership at the state, regional, and national levels. He also has served as a legislative advocate for TRiO on Capitol Hill for several years.
“Dr. Southerland’s background in the Maryland area and experience in higher education make him a great fit for SU,” said Dr. Dane Foust, vice president of student affairs. “We are excited to welcome him to campus.”
A native of Washington, D.C., Southerland earned his Ph.D. in education policy, planning and administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his B.A. in English and M.S. in counseling and human resource development from the University of Bridgeport, CT.
He will be joined soon by his spouse, Medra Roberts, and daughter, Kia.
For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.
