Conference Recap:
On behalf of the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Dr. Karen Head, we welcome you to Augusta University and look forward to supporting your success as a faculty member.
In order to assist your transition to the campus, we have developed the following resources and orientations based on whether you are a new full-time or new part-time faculty member.
This training is designed to assist with your integration into the Augusta University community and provide you information about student support services. It also connects you with tools and resources to ensure you are equipped with the knowledge needed for success in your new role. All part-time and full-time faculty are expected to complete this module within the first month of hire.
If you encounter any technical issues accessing the training or have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to the Organizational Development team at au_percipio@augusta.edu.
We are excited to invite you to our virtual Summer Meetup event designed specifically for our new faculty members. This optional event is an open forum for questions and answers regarding onboarding procedures, campus resources, and any other topics relevant to your integration into the Augusta University academic community. Representatives from the Faculty Senate, HR Faculty Support Services, and the Office of Faculty Affairs will be present.
Stay Tuned for More Information
SAVE THE DATE: 2026 NFC will take place August 3-4.
August 4-5, 2025: View the Full Conference Schedule Here!
New Faculty Conference (NFC) is an annual two-day conference for new full-time tenure track, non-tenure track, and research faculty members as they embark on their professional journeys.
The conference serves as an orientation that will provide you an opportunity to network with colleagues, while learning important information about Augusta University policies, procedures, and programs. Additionally, you will be able to participate in engaging workshops based on your work effort as a faculty member (instructional innovation, research, or clinical practice). Academic and campus leaders also attend the sessions, providing you a great opportunity to initiate cross-departmental relationships with colleagues.
What to expect:
Conference Recap:
Conference schedule subject to change
Opening Session
location-dot icon Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre
Join us as we officially welcome you to Augusta University with opening remarks and reflections from key academic leaders. You'll hear from the President, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice Provost, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Faculty Senate Chair, and a student panel.
Lunch
location-dot icon JSAC, First Floor
Enjoy lunch with the Provost, Vice Provost, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Faculty Senate Chair. This informal setting offers new faculty the opportunity to engage directly with senior academic leaders, ask questions, and build connections with fellow new faculty across colleges and departments.
location-dot icon JSAC, Second Floor (Each 50-minute session is designed to align with a specific track. Choose one track or explore sessions across multiple tracks)
Engage with the Clinical Faculty Panel to discuss building your career as a faculty member. Participate in an interactive workshop on utilizing coaching skills for working with patients and multi-disciplinary teams. Additional breakout sessions include a presentation on Compassionomics, as well as empowering critical thinkers for students in various learning environments.
Hear from the Division of Sponsored Programs Administration, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, Summerville Interdisciplinary Research Office, and an gain insight from the Research Faculty Panel on navigating research as a new faculty member. This includes tools and resources for faculty, pre and post-award services, contracts, funding, and more.
Participate in sessions with the Center for Instructional Innovation on topics like supporting your teaching journey, an overview of D2L Brightspace, interactive learning, and teaching with generative AI.
Opening Session
location-dot icon Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre
Gain insights on university policy from our Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Legal Affairs. Sessions include breakout sessions for an engaging Faculty-led Panel, as well as Tenure and Non-Tenure Track Panels.
Lunch
location-dot icon University Hall, First & Second Floor
Enjoy lunch with the Dean of your college to ask questions and learn more about college-specific goals
Afternoon Sessions
location-dot icon JSAC, First & Second Floor
This series of sessions is designed to help new faculty settle in, connect, and thrive at Augusta University. You will hear from Human Resources, Information Technology, Destination Augusta, Community Engagement, and an opportunity to foster new connections at the campus resource fair with 30+ departments.
Closing Session
location-dot icon To be Announced
President and First Lady's New Faculty Welcome Reception
President, Augusta University
Georgia native Russell T. Keen, EdD, assumed the presidency of Augusta University (AU), effective July 1, 2024. Keen previously served as executive vice president for administration and chief of staff to the president at AU, where he held an executive leadership role since July 2015. In this position, Keen managed and allocated the university’s more than $1 billion budget, managed and coordinated its executive vice presidents and served as head administrator in the president’s absence. He has worked within the university system for more than 22 years. Previously, he also held leadership roles at Georgia Southern University and in fundraising at the University of Georgia. Keen, a first-generation college student, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University. He earned an EdD in higher education management from UGA in 2019. His family has been part of the Augusta community for generations.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Dr. Tomova is a transformative leader who has achieved demonstrated success in many of the strategic areas of focus at Augusta University and will strive to continue the momentum of ongoing efforts to accelerate academic affairs, elevate student success and work to secure funding for scholarships, research and facilities. As Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Augusta University, Tomova will focus on key priorities, including investing in faculty, strengthening student retention and supporting growth in research and discovery. Tomova previously served as dean of the College of Sciences and vice provost for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Central Florida, leading efforts to surpass the university's four-year graduation rate target as well as doubling research expenditures and fueling the expansion of the college’s research enterprise. Tomova earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and biochemistry from California Lutheran University, a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a PhD in mathematics at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
Vice Provost
For more than 40 years, Zach Kelehear, EdD has been engaged in public education. He has served as a college administrator, professor, a personnel director, staff development director, and a teacher in high school and middle school. Currently he is the Vice Provost for Augusta University and is known for his expertise in instructional leadership, organizational change, and personnel. Kelehear has written several articles and books that investigate ideas around artful leadership practice in public schools and business. In addition, Kelehear continues to be engaged in professional organizations and publications. He has served as President of the Council of Professors of Instructional Supervision (COPIS), Chair of both the Arts and Learning SIG and Supervision and Instructional Leadership SIGs at AERA.
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
Karen Head, PhD is the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and a Professor of English and World Languages at Augusta University. In addition, she is the Editor of the Atlanta Review, Adjunct Professor at Georgia Tech, and a Visiting Scholar and Artist at Technische-Universität-Dortmund. She has an A.A. from DeKalb College, a B.A. from Oglethorpe University, an M.A. from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. Her extensive administrative background is grounded by a scholarly output that spans several disciplinary lines, often as interdisciplinary work, to include work in the fine arts, education, social science, and broad-based humanities. Her scholarship about higher education rhetoric, especially in the area of technology-based pedagogical practices, has been internationally recognized. As a widely published poet, she served as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Fulton County, Georgia (2020-2022). Currently, she serves as the Waffle House Poet Laureate, a title that reflects her outreach program to use the arts to encourage students in rural high schools to consider paths toward college, a distinction that has received extensive media coverage.
Vice President and General Counsel
Chris joined AU as Vice President and General Counsel in 2014, overseeing the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the legal services provided to the University and its nine colleges. OLA is comprised of 5 attorneys (including the GC) and 3 staff members. The General Counsel reports to the President and is a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet. The OLA is responsible for providing legal advice and legal services to the University leadership, faculty, staff, and all colleges and divisions. Their work includes advice and support on contracts, employment, business transactions, research and intellectual property, faculty and student affairs, affiliate cooperative organizations and foundations, University policies, open records, and coordination on issues of mutual interest with the University System of Georgia and the State Attorney General’s Office.
Faculty Senate Chair, MS-CLS Research Program Director, and Associate Professor
As a 12-year faculty member of Augusta University, Dr. Curry-McCoy displays a passion for teaching, excellence in research, and a heart for service. Hailing from Bennett College, the first historically black women's college in the US, she understands the science of a liberal arts college. Dr. Curry-McCoy then proceeded to obtain her PhD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where she actually walked uphill in the snow to get to class. Later Dr. Curry-McCoy obtained an MPH from AU and an MPA from Georgia College State University. As a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated Dr. Curry-McCoy's motto is "Excuses are tools of incompetence which build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness. Those who use them seldom amount to anything". Understanding, hard work, diligence, and loyalty are a few of the qualities Dr. Curry-McCoy brings to work every day. Affectionately known as Dr. T, she leads by example walking hand and hand with faculty, staff, and students. Dr. T is the Chair of Augusta University Faculty Senate, Professor in the College of Allied Health Sciences, Graduate School Faculty, and an Associate Member of the Vascular Biology Center.
Director, Benefits, Data Management, & Faculty Support Services
Morgan J. Chavous is a seasoned Human Resources leader with over 20 years of progressive experience at Augusta University. Currently serving as Director of Employment & Faculty Support Services, Morgan oversees key HR functions including benefits administration, onboarding, faculty support, and system process improvement. She is recognized for driving efficiency, ensuring compliance, and delivering exceptional customer service. Her leadership spans complex projects such as system upgrades, Open Enrollment coordination, and faculty contract administration. Morgan holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice, a Master of Public Administration, and brings a deep understanding of public sector HR operations. She is a trusted advisor and subject matter expert within the University System of Georgia.
Interim Associate Vice President, Community Engagement
Vanessa White serves as the Interim Associate Vice President of Community Engagement at Augusta University, where she leads efforts to connect the university’s mission with the needs and strengths of its surrounding communities. With a focus on meaningful collaboration, Vanessa oversees initiatives that promote volunteerism, build strategic partnerships, and enhance the university’s role as a community anchor. Vanessa’s career at Augusta University began in 2010, and over the years, she has built a reputation as a thoughtful, innovative leader. She has held progressive roles in patient-family centered care, volunteer coordination, and program management, deepening her expertise in strategic planning, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement. Most recently, as Director of Programs and Operations, she drove data-informed improvements across enterprise-wide initiatives, streamlined volunteer services, and led high-impact programming that aligns with both institutional and community goals. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and two graduate degrees from Troy University: a Master of Public Administration (Non-Profit Management) and a Master of Science in Management (Human Resource Management). A Leadership Augusta graduate and recipient of the Augusta Metro Chamber’s “Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch” award, Vanessa is passionate about designing programs that empower people, strengthen systems, and leave a lasting impact.
Vice Dean and Professor, Restorative Sciences
Dental College of Georgia Office of Faculty Affairs
Kevin B. Frazier, DMD, EdS; Vice Dean and Professor of Restorative Sciences with the Dental College of Georgia (DCG) at Augusta University (AU). He received his dental degree and residency training from the University of Florida, and an EdS degree (Ed Leadership) from AU. He teaches pre-clinical and clinical restorative dentistry, dental materials, and leadership concepts. He participates in the DCG faculty practice, and conducts research in materials, and trends in dental education and practice. He has participated in multiple research and training grants, has more than 130 publications and 260 presentations. As Vice Dean he supports dental faculty affairs, new faculty onboarding, promotion and tenure and the DCG Faculty Senate. He is the AU Chapter President of the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi. National leadership service includes the Academy of Operative Dentistry, the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs, and the American Dental Education Association. He has co-led international medical/dental mission trips.
Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research
Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Design
Scott Thorp is an artist, writer, and educator specializing in creativity. He currently serves as Chair of the Department of Art and Design and Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research. Scott holds an MFA in multi-disciplinary art from the Maryland Institute College of Art. In addition to his studio work, he publishes regularly through ARTPULSE Magazine on contemporary artists. From his years of teaching creativity and design thinking he believes that collaboration and the development of creative skills are essential to problem-solving. With his innovative approach, Thorp continues to inspire and empower individuals to tap into their creative potential.
Assistant Vice President of Instruction Services
Doug Blackburn is the Assistant Vice President for Instruction Services at Augusta University, where he oversees the Center for Instructional Innovation. Doug joined Augusta University in 2015 as the Manager of the Medical College of Georgia’s Technology Services team. In 2017, he became the Director of University IT Services, responsible for end-user IT support teams, Classroom and Event Services, and instructional systems and support teams. He later served as the Assistant Vice President for IT Customer Experience before assuming his current role in Academic Affairs.
Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Science in Information Security Management from the Augusta University School of Computer and Cyber Sciences. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from West Georgia University. Before joining Augusta University, Doug spent 15 years as the Director of Business Development for an internet commerce software provider.
