Dr. Karen Weddle-West to Step Down as UofM Vice President for Student Academic Success
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - After an accomplished 25-year tenure as an administrator at the University of Memphis, Dr. Karen Weddle-West will step down from her position as Vice President for Student Academic Success, effective June 30.
Weddle-West has spent the past 35 years at the UofM and will return to the College of Education as a professor in Educational Psychology and Research following a professional development assignment. Prior to serving as the VP for Student Academic Success for the previous five years, Weddle-West served in various roles including Provost — becoming the first female and African American to hold this position — Dean of the Graduate School/Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Director of Diversity Initiatives and a faculty member in Educational Psychology and Research.
Weddle-West has collaborated with faculty and administrators to create more than 60 new graduate programs, oversee the successful accreditation/reaccreditation of 5 colleges/schools, chair or serve on more than 100 dissertation committees, and steward millions of dollars to support students ‘matriculation and completion scholarships while fostering inclusive excellence in undergraduate, graduate and law programs. Notable accomplishments during her leadership include record increases in graduation rates and significant decreases in completion gaps. Her national honors and distinguished service include Chair of the GRE Board, recipient of the Council of Graduate Schools Peterson’s Award for Innovation in Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community, and speaker at the Library of Congress on Broadening Participation in Graduate Education. She is most appreciative of the numerous awards from the university.
“I want to thank Dr. Weddle-West for her dedication and leadership as an administrator at the University,” said UofM Provost David Russomanno. “She had a remarkable administrative career, with her contributions so numerous it challenges enumeration. The impact of her work has been significant, and the University of Memphis is a better institution today because of her. I look forward to her continued innovation and excellence at the UofM as a faculty member.”
“I am honored and blessed to have had the wonderful opportunity to provide servant leadership to the University and to facilitate student success and degree completion in each administrative role while working alongside an outstanding and supportive group of faculty, staff, students and community leaders,” Weddle-West said. “I thank the executive leaders for their unwavering support and all with whom I had the pleasure of working. I gained invaluable knowledge from each of you, and I look forward to returning full-time to the professoriate.”