By Sloan Jones | Georgia Gwinnett College President Stanley C. “Stas” Preczewski says that Dr. T.J. Arant has been selected as GGC’s new senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs and provost. In that role, he will build upon the college’s strong foundation of academic excellence and extend it in ways that continue to support student success leading to degree completion. He will assume his duties no later than July 1, 2016.
Arant
Preczewski says: “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Arant to the GGC leadership team. His experience in higher education over the past 16 years will serve him well as he assumes this role and provides primary guidance and direction for the college in all areas of academic and student affairs and oversees GGC’s overall academic mission. His leadership will be key in the areas of faculty and staff development, research, advancement goals and activities and budget and resource allocation.”
Arant responds: “Georgia Gwinnett College is a model institution for the 21st century and is dedicated to state-of-the-art support for student success. I’m excited to join the college at this important moment in its history.” Arant earned his master’s degree in English in 1981 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. in English in 1991 from Duke University. His undergraduate degree is from Vanderbilt University.
Arant comes to GGC from York College of Pennsylvania where he has served as interim chief academic officer on a one-year assignment devoted to helping the president and her senior staff as a new strategic planning process coincided with a national search for new academic leadership. In addition to supervising operations, he was responsible for facilitating the rollout of a new general education program, preparing the campus for an imminent 10-year accreditation visit and preparing a recommendation for the restructuring of academic affairs. In particular, his work was to build transparent systems that would interact seamlessly with both administration and faculty, giving each ownership in a dynamic new strategic plan.
Before his service as interim chief academic officer at York College of Pennsylvania, Arant was the interim chief academic officer at Misericordia University for the 2014-15 academic year during which he assisted the institutional transition to a renewed understanding of mission and vision in an environment of increased transparency and trust.
He is a native of West Virginia. He and his wife, Susan, from Cleveland, Ohio, have two adult children, ages 27 and 25.
Arant served as president of Friends University, a private university of 2,500 students, from 2011 to 2014. During his presidency, he was charged with building new structures and processes for the changed environment of the 21st century. The university was recognized as a College of Distinction, an NAIA Champions of Character Institution with 44 Academic All-Americans in 2013, and as a member of the Gardner Institute’s Foundations of Excellence program.
Arant has an extensive experience base in the areas of higher education, instructional technology, leadership development and faculty development. He has a proven record of service and scholarship which includes national and state presentations, teaching awards, and service on academic and civic organization committees.
Follow Us