Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University has selected a veteran faculty member and administrator to oversee programs designed to help students stay in college and complete a four-year degree.

Joshua Powers will serve as interim associate vice president for student success. A 12-year faculty member in the Bayh College of Education's department of educational leadership, Powers has served since 2010 as special assistant to the provost for academic initiatives.

In his new role, Powers will be responsible for programs that impact student persistence and graduation and will collaborate with others who are involved in that effort. He will have oversight responsibilities for the Student Academic Services Center and the Office of Residence Life, as well as leadership for the development of an integrated Strategic Enrollment Management Plan focused on student retention.

Powers will take over the student success position on July 1, succeeding Jennifer Schriver, who is leaving the post after three years to return to teaching in the ISU psychology department.

"We thank Dr. Schriver for the great work she has done as Indiana State's first associate vice president for student success. She has implemented several new initiatives and has worked tirelessly toward the goal that we all share of increasing the percentage of Hoosiers that hold four-year degrees," said Jack Maynard, ISU's provost and vice president for academic affairs.

The university will conduct a national search for the position after Jan. 1, Maynard said."We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Powers' experience and vision to assume this important position as we prepare to welcome new students this fall and help them get their ISU education off to a great start," Maynard said. "I know that he will provide excellent interim leadership for our student success programs."

At Indiana State since 2000, Powers teaches in the Bayh College of Education's higher education program, which focuses on the preparation of leaders for colleges and universities. He specializes in resource management, organization and governance, legal issues and college students.

"ISU is a special place with particular student demographic assets that are key to our state and nation's future. I look forward to working with faculty and administrative colleagues to both ensure high quality experiences and enhance our ability to retain and graduate students in a timely manner," Powers said. "Our excellence as an institution is not defined by who we exclude but rather who we include and the kinds of experiences students have while here. We talk about being more from day one; with focused energy, we can be more by year four."

In 2009-10, Powers was an American Council on Education Fellow, one of 33 selected from throughout the country. As an ACE Fellow, he worked with the presidents of Wright State University and the University of Vermont. His primary focus was on strategy implementation with additional projects in campus diversity, interdisciplinary initiatives, general education and program review. Upon returning to ISU, he has been responsible for the Unbounded Possibilities project, the diversifying the faculty initiative and a department chair professional development program.

He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Vermont, a master's degree in college student personnel administration from Indiana University and Ph.Ds in organizational behavior and higher education from Indiana University.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Powers-Josh/i-t9Cm64X/0/L/032212headshots-9927-L.jpg

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu