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MU Chancellor Appoints Stokes as Provost

December 4th, 2014

Story Contact: Christian Basi, 573-882-4430, BasiC@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— University of Missouri Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin announced that Garnett S. Stokes, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Florida State University (FSU), has been appointed as provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at MU. Her appointment is effective Feb. 2, 2015.

“Garnett Stokes has the ability, the vision and the drive to help us move the University of Missouri to the next level,” Loftin said. “She has a reputation for supporting students and building on existing research strengths. She understands the need to create an academic environment that provides students the tools they need to be successful. She also recognizes the importance of supporting our faculty and giving them necessary resources to foster discoveries in the lab that will enhance and benefit the lives of citizens in Missouri, the nation and world. We’re looking forward to having her join us as our newest Tiger.”

“I am delighted to join the University of Missouri’s leadership team,” Stokes said. “Mizzou is an extraordinary place, and the potential for greater success and impact on the wonderful educational community there is significant. I look forward to working with everyone on campus to build on the excellence already in place.”

During her time at FSU, Stokes focused on several initiatives to elevate the university into a top-25 public research university, which included promoting an environment consistently focused on excellence and collaboration throughout the campus and the community.

As provost, she worked to transform the undergraduate academic experience by supporting a new liberal studies curriculum, a “critical thinking” initiative designed for students in their majors, and a graduate success initiative, where faculty and career advisors worked to better prepare students for graduate school or professional careers. Stokes increased support for graduate students through provision of higher stipends and supplements for coverage of health insurance. Stokes also created a program for rewarding faculty with salary increases for receipt of awards recognized by the AAU or the National Research Council.

“We have been focused on helping our students take what they learn in their studies and understand how it will help them in the world of work or graduate school, wherever their career paths take them,” Stokes said. “We also hired entrepreneurs-in-residence in some of our colleges to work with our students and provide them with guidance and advice they couldn’t get anywhere else. We’ve been very proud of our work to ensure the success of our undergraduate and graduate students.”

As interim president at FSU, Stokes created a task force designed to tackle sexual and domestic violence, which led to the development of FSU’s “kNOw MORE” campaign, a campaign intended to prevent sexual violence and assault. Currently, she serves as a leader on FSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and has focused her efforts on building a climate of support for faculty, staff and students.

Prior to her current position at FSU, Stokes served as a faculty member at the University of Georgia (UGA). In 2004, Stokes was named dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Science at UGA. In 2014, she served as interim president of FSU.

She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee in 1977, a master’s degree in 1980 and a doctorate in 1982 from the University of Georgia in industrial/organizational psychology. Her research has focused on personnel selection and promotion, specifically the use of biographical information in job selection and promotion decisions. As a consultant, Stokes has assisted businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in the development of their hiring procedures.

She is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

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