Loury Ollison Floyd has been named dean of the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She was an associate professor and associate dean for undergraduate programs at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro.
Dr. Floyd previously served as president of the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators and also served on the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners. She began her career as a special education teacher in Chesapeake Public Schools in Chesapeake, Virginia.
“It feels like the right place at the right time for both UNCP and for me,” Dr. Floyd said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to join the faculty and to lead the School of Education in transformative changes that will positively impact the public schools across the region. I am passionate about service to the public schools and preparing the next generation of teachers, school counselors, and administrators.”
Dr. Floyd earned a bachelor’s degree in special education at North Carolina A&T State University. She holds a master’s degree in special education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and a Ph.D. in educational policy, planning, and leadership from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Carmenita D. Higginbotham, an art historian whose research examines 20th-century American art, has been named dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, effective September 15. She has been serving as chair of the McIntire Department of Art at the University of Virginia. She is the author of the book, The Urban Scene: Race, Reginald Marsh, and American Art (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2015).
“It is very exciting to be joining VCU,” Higginbotham said. “With its commitment to academic excellence and its role as a public urban institution, VCU is a perfect fit with my own investments in research, higher education, and the arts. The School of the Arts, with the premier quality of its departments and programs, is at the forefront of the cultural and social conversations that affect us all. Further, it embraces the unique characteristics of creative activity and research to foster a truly dynamic community.
Dr. Higginbotham received a bachelor’s degree in English and art history from the University of Minnesota. She holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in the history of art from the University of Michigan.
