Keryn G. Vickers

Dr. Keryn Vickers joined the Watson College of Education (WCE) Office of Student Advising in 2021 as the Inaugural Director and envisioned and rebranded it into a Student Success Center. He began his academic career over two decades years ago at DePauw University, advising, coaching, and mentoring students and leading a community non-profit organization. Dr. Vickers has served students at UNCW since 2006 as Assistant Director of Admissions, an Academic Advisor and Interim Coordinator in the Center for Academic Advising (formerly known as University College), a First-Year seminar and Africana Studies instructor, and leader and champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Dr. Vickers is a native New Yorker, but he earned a BA in Communication Arts & Sciences from DePauw University in Indiana. He also earned an MA in Recreation & Sports Management from Indiana State University and is a WCE alum after earning an Ed.D. in Education Leadership.

Dr. Vickers is passionate about education and strategically implements diverse, high impact and best practices or services that support all students' holistic development. When Dr. Vickers is not serving in WCE, he can be found spending quality time with family, expressing his faith, playing sports, and being a servant leader in his community.

Education

B.A. in Communication Arts & Sciences , DePauw University,
M.A. Recreation & Sports Management, Indiana State University,
Ed.D. Education Leadership, Higher Education, UNCW

Specialization in Teaching

Dr. Vickers has taught Intro to Africana Studies and First-Year Seminar (UNI-101 for Isaac Bear Early College Students and First-Year Spring Admits) for years. He also teaches at local community colleges in their small business and technology development centers on how to build and sustain faith-based businesses and non-profit organizations.

Research Interests

Dr. Vickers' dissertation, Lifting as We Climb: Investigating Non-Traditional Pathways and Strategies to Executive Leadership Positions for African Americans in Predominantly White Institutions, has been part of his personal journey and life's work.

Dr. Vickers published a chapter, The Groundwater Approach to Breonna Taylor and Others: Systematic Racism and African Americans, in a book titled Breonna Taylor and Me: Black Women, Racial Justice, and Reclaiming Hope (Complicated Conversation: A Book Series of Curriculum Studies).

Professional Service

Dr. Vickers is a member of NACADA and has presented several workshops over the past few years on the work with Starfish Success Plans. In addition, he served on UNCW's Academic Advising Council as the Membership and Communications Chair. As a member of the National Association of School University Partnerships organization, Dr. Vickers presented on the Educators of Color Network and serves as a member of their Anti-racism committee.

Furthermore, Dr. Vickers serves as a lecturer with the Cameron School of Business Swain Center, giving presentations to New Hanover County Employees and Novant Healthcare Providers on topics such as Understanding and Serving People of Different Cultures and Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Vickers also serves as a Federal Government Grant Reviewer for the United States Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and HRSA.

Community Engagement

Dr. Vickers serves as the co-chair of the steering committee for the Educators of Color Network and is the co-leader of the Future Educators of Color organization within the Watson College of Education. In addition, Dr. Vickers currently serves as a member of WCE’s Inclusive Diversity Excellence Access Committee, the treasurer for UNCW's Black Faculty & Staff Association, and an ex-officio member of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Intercultural and Global Engagement Committee.

Honors & Awards

Dr. Vickers has been nominated for UNCW's Staff Award for Excellence for outstanding service in 2008 and 2020 and received the Governor's Award in 2020. In 2024, Dr. Vickers published a chapter, The Groundwater Approach to Breonna Taylor and Others: Systematic Racism and African Americans, in a book titled Breonna Taylor and Me: Black Women, Racial Justice, and Reclaiming Hope (Complicated Conversation: A Book Series of Curriculum Studies).