Joelle Davis Carter, a 1994 graduate of WSSU’s middle grades education program was named assistant vice president for retention and student services at Western Kentucky University in fall 2012.
As a student, Joelle always knew she wanted to be an educator, but it was not until her senior year that she realized a graduate degree program actually existed that would allow her to combine her love for education, her concern for holistic student development, and her passion for leadership. And, thus began her exploration of a graduate program in student leadership and higher education administration. Joelle became part of a group of students participating in an annual trip to The Ohio State University as part of its diverse student initiative. It might be an overstatement to say that she caught a little of the Buckeye spirit when she first arrived at a campus of over 55,000 students; it was more of an “unenthusiastic response” to the massive campus but, at the same time, rather exhilarating for this student from Oxford, NC, whose 2012 population estimate was 8,575.
in the Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education and International Studies at the University of Maryland College Park, where she received the doctor of philosophy degree in 2010. Her research agenda is shaped by the study of student engagement and examining how students’ participation in academic and co-curricular activities influences their academic success and career preparation.
J o elle Davis C ar te r
At OSU, Joelle enrolled in the Student Personnel program and continued her trend of campus leadership. She became active in the Black Graduate and Professional Student Caucus (BG&PSC) and the Council of Graduate Schools at OSU. She was elected president of BG&PSC and led the organization to realize a number of successes that included an annual scholarship banquet and graduate education preparation workshops for undergraduates. Dr. Carter earned the Master of Arts in Student Personnel degree from OSU in 1997. Subsequently, she pursued studies 68
Dr. Carter has served in a number of mid- to senior-level higher education positions at the University of Maryland College Park, Morgan State University and Winthrop University. In these roles, she has been responsible for the management and development of professional staff, establishing and evaluating academic programs, and working with senior-level administrators such as deans, assistant vice presidents and provosts on major institutional issues, including retention, diversity and staff development.
Immediately prior to joining Western Kentucky University last fall, Dr. Davis was director of undergraduate programs in the School of Business at The George Washington University. There, her appointment included responsibility for developing and coordinating retention and engagement efforts that encompassed the School of Business’ first-year development program, undergraduate research program, sophomore year experience initiative, business student leadership organizations, and living and learning communities. In 2012, her first EEDDUUCCEERREE MMAAGGAAZZI INNEE
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