Campus Compact Announces Mary Grant as Board Chair, Three new Board Members Campus Compact is excited to share that Mary Grant, president of Massachusetts College of Art & Design has been named Chair of the Campus Compact Board of Directors and that four additional higher education leaders, Karrie Dixon, chancellor of Elizabeth City State University, Stephanie Fujii, president of Arapahoe Community College, Antonio Tillis, chancellor of Rutgers University - Camden, and John W. Wells, president of Emory & Henry College, have joined the Board for Campus Compact’s 2023 fiscal year. Made up of college and university presidents alongside leaders from the public and private sector, the Campus Compact Board of Directors is committed to pursuing Campus Compact’s mission effectively and with integrity.
“Campus Compact is an action-oriented organization focused on realizing the full potential of higher education’s civic and community engagement mission and our Board of Directors is the driving force behind that mission,” said Bobbie Laur, president of Campus Compact. “I’m thrilled to have Dr. Grant stepping into her new role as Chair. She has been a long and invested advocate for Campus Compact and we’re lucky to have her in this critical leadership role. President Dixon, President Fujii, Chancellor Tillis, and President Wells are passionate about our work and each bring unique experiences and expertise to the table. I’m so thankful to each of them for answering the call to serve.”
Dr. Mary K. Grant has been an integral part of the Campus Compact board of directors for many years. A national leader in the higher education space devoted to civic engagement, she became the President of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) in 2021. Her career in public higher education spans nearly 30 years, including leadership positions as President of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Chancellor of the University of North Carolina Asheville. She has also led in the civic engagement space as the President of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and Senior Administrative Fellow for Civics and Social Justice at Bridgewater State University.
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“I am honored to become Board Chair of Campus Compact. I see civic and community engagement as essential to higher education's role in shaping today's students, the leaders of tomorrow. Campus Compact embodies this belief and I have seen firsthand the powerful impact colleges and universities can make when they educate their students to be responsible and engaged citizens, with the support of Campus Compact; I am excited to lead the Board in the next chapter of this organization’s future."
Dr. Karrie Dixon was named 12th chief executive officer and 7th chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in December 2018. Elizabeth City State University is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Dixon previously served at Elizabeth City State University as co-lead on the ECSU New Directions Phase 2 Operational Team. Prior to that, Dixon spent over 20 years in the University of North Carolina System and at UNC campuses, most recently as vice president for academic and student affairs. Dixon is a charter member of the Black Women Collegiate Presidents and Chancellors. She sits on many boards, including North Carolina Campus Engagement, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Dixon holds a bachelor’s degree from NC State University, a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a doctorate from NC State.
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“It is an honor to join Campus Compact’s Board of Directors and partner with other leaders in carrying out and elevating the organization’s impactful mission and work,” said Dixon. I look forward to serving alongside educators who are also committed to advancing equity in our society.”
Dr. Stephanie Fujii is president of Arapahoe Community College, a public community college in Littleton, Colorado. Fujii is a seasoned and passionate community college executive with over 30 years of higher education experience in student services, instruction, and workforce/career and technical education. Throughout her career, Fujii has presented nationally on the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion, student retention/persistence, college counseling, and student development. She authored a column for the national newsletter of the American College Counseling Association and was recognized for meritorious service for her advocacy of community college counseling. Earlier in 2022, Fujii was elected as President-Elect of the National Asian/Pacific Islander Council (NAPIC), an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges. She was also recently appointed to the AACC’s Commission on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. Fujii holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Nevada, Reno and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University.
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"I am honored to serve on the Campus Compact Board of Directors," said Fujii. “I look forward to helping build and sustain civic engagement initiatives in partnership with our communities.”
Dr. Antonio D. Tillis is chancellor of Rutgers University-Camden, a public, minority serving institution in Camden, New Jersey. Before joining Rutgers University–Camden, Tillis served as interim president of the University of Houston–Downtown and as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Houston. Tillis is a noted scholar in the field of Afro-Hispanic studies. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Brazil in 2009, and he has presented his scholarship at lectures and conferences across the United States and around the world. He is the coeditor of several books, including The Trayvon Martin in ‘US’: An American Tragedy, The Afro-Hispanic Reader and Anthology, and Critical Perspectives on Afro-Latin American Literature. A first-generation college student, Tillis holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in Spanish literature from Howard University. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin American literature (with an Afro-Hispanic emphasis) from the University of Missouri at Columbia.
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“It is an honor to join the distinguished Campus Compact board. The promise of a more diverse, civically engaged, and intellectually curious society has motivated every step of my scholarly journey, and I look forward to working alongside my distinguished Campus Compact colleagues to empower the next generation of leaders.”
Dr. John W. Wells became the twenty-second president of Emory & Henry College in July 2019. Emory & Henry College is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. He previously served for two years at Emory & Henry as provost and dean of faculty. Prior to that, he was chief academic officer for three higher education institutions and served as associate general secretary for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the worldwide United Methodist Church and executive secretary of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Wells earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Tennessee. He also holds a master’s degree in political science from UT and a bachelor’s degree in history from Carson-Newman University.
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“A healthy democracy relies on citizens who possess the skills to forge common purpose, determine just outcomes, and to imagine new social possibilities,” said Wells. “With Campus Compact, Emory & Henry will continue the worthy tradition of fostering the development of just this kind of citizen. As a nationally recognized ‘college that changes lives,’ Emory & Henry is proud to partner with Campus Compact to support a continued tradition of positive change.”