FSU Names New Provost, Chief Academic Officer

Fayetteville State University announced Monday that Dr. Monica Terrell Leach, who brings 29 years of experience in academic affairs from universities across the state, will serve as the new Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Leach, currently a Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), will start on June 1. She was selected out of a pool of more than 60 candidates and became a part of five finalists who were invited to participate in virtual and in-person campus visits with students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

"Throughout her career, Dr. Leach has served as a senior administrator and a tenured faculty member and has demonstrated that she can lead in areas that are vital to the success of this university," said FSU's Chancellor Darrell T. Allison.

"She is a leader with a great understanding of the complexity of academic affairs and has the ability to navigate effectively. She is an ideal choice for our next provost, and I am confident that she, with the help of a strong team, can move our academic agenda forward," added Chancellor Allison.

In this role Leach will oversee the Division of Academic Affairs, which includes four colleges, and manage numerous academic programs.

At NCCU, Leach was responsible for leading numerous enrollment management departments. She oversaw a divisional budget of over $144 million which included administering scholarships and student aid at NCCU.

Prior to joining NCCU, Leach served at North Carolina State University (NC State) for nearly 18 years in many capacities, holding the positions of Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Diversity Programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management; and Interim Department Chair in the Department of Social Work.

Leach has held the rank of tenured associate professor at both NCCU and NC State.

In 2004, Leach won the John R. Larkins Award, one of North Carolina's highest honors for human service that is given to a state government employee who has made noteworthy and exemplary contributions to human and race relations in the workplace or community. She was the first employee from a public university to win the award.  Dr. Leach has also participated in a myriad of administrative professional development programs throughout her career, including serving as a fellow for the AASCU Millennium Leadership Institute, 2019-20 and in the Harvard University Women in Leadership Initiative, 2016.

Leach received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Education from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She earned her Master of Education in Adult and Community College Education, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from NC State.

Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. J. Lee Brown, who has successfully served in the role since August 1, 2020, will return as the Dean of the College of Business and Economics and will also serve as the Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Business Innovation.

"I thank Dr. Brown for his dedication and service as interim Provost," Allison said. "He is a person of extraordinary talent and I am confident he will continue to excel in his role as dean and in his new role in a significant way."