Friday, August 23, 2019

Virginia State University faculty member and administrator M. Omar Faison is UNCW’s fall 2019 visiting American Council of Education Fellow. Since 1965, the ACE Fellows Program has strengthened institutional and leadership capacity across higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration.

Faison, an associate professor of biology and interim executive director of VSU’s Center for Agricultural Research, Engagement and Outreach, will arrive at UNCW on Aug. 28 and stay through mid-December.

“Given UNCW’s Carnegie Classification, the interesting university-industry relationships the university has and the enterprising outlook of the administrators I have met, I think my placement at UNCW will be an intriguing opportunity for me to learn and grow,” he said.

UNCW Provost Marilyn Sheerer will serve as Faison’s primary mentor and he will work alongside Associate Provost for Research and Innovation Stuart Borrett to get a better understanding of public partnerships, community engagement and economic development.

Borrett explained that along with Jeanine Mingé, UNCW Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement, they will focus on exploring and developing the links between UNCW’s research enterprise and community engagement activities. “It’s a natural fit with Dr. Faison’s background in research administration and the key connection between research and innovation and the university’s economic development work,” he said.

Faison holds a Ph.D. in neurosciences from the University of Virginia. At VSU, he has helped develop and implement policies, procedures and incentives to increase research and develop collaborations with faculty in the College of Agriculture.

-- Caroline Crop

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