April White Pugh was appointed provost at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. Dr. Pugh has been serving as interim provost since June 2019 and previously served Southern Wesleyan as vice provost for academic affairs and associate vice president for academic excellence.
Southern Wesleyan University was founded in 1906. It enrolls about 1,225 undergraduate students and slightly more than 300 graduate students according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 21 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Prior to coming to Southern Wesleyan University, Dr. Pugh served as assistant dean for academic affairs at Bainbridge State College in Donalsonville, Georgia. Earlier, she was the assistant to the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tallahassee Community College in Florida.
“It is a blessing and honor to be selected permanently for the provost role,” Dr. Pugh said. “Over the weeks, months and years ahead, I look forward to continuing my alongside academic deans and faculty to determine what a good quality educational experience is at SWU; alongside student life professionals in determining how we can extend learning outside of the classroom in ways that develop students beyond the intellect, yet still supports it. I also look forward to my work with enrollment management, uncovering the hidden talents and gifts among faculty, staff, and students that will help the world know exactly who we are without ever having set foot on our campus.”
Dr. Pugh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in adult education and human resource development from Florida State University. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology with a concentration in industrial and organizational psychology from Capella University.
