Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Betsy Brown to Retire

One of NC State’s strongest advocates for faculty development and support will retire at the end of the academic year, Provost Warwick Arden announced Wednesday.

Betsy Brown, vice provost for faculty affairs, joined the university in 2006 as a special assistant to the provost. She worked with the Office of International Affairs on program development and coordinated an international faculty development initiative in 2008 that enabled NC State faculty to pursue collaborative research and teaching opportunities with international partners.

After taking the helm of faculty affairs in 2008, she led several key initiatives, including the creation of the Office of Faculty Development and the expansion of new faculty orientation. She also oversaw creation of the review process for the University Faculty Scholars Program and helped launch the chancellor’s annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence.

She serves as the provost’s liaison to the Faculty Senate and has led numerous leadership development programs on campus, including the NSF ADVANCE program’s leadership development workshop and climate workshop for department heads. She coordinates the ACE Fellows and Fulbright Fellows programs on campus and serves on the commission that oversees APLU’s Food Systems Leadership Institute.

“Betsy has been an outstanding advocate for faculty throughout her career and has created a lasting legacy at NC State through her accomplishments,” Arden said. “Whether she was coordinating the reappointment, promotion and tenure review process; developing policies and regulations related to faculty employment and evaluation; or supporting faculty development and recognition – if it involved faculty at NC State, it involved Betsy Brown and her strong desire to see faculty succeed and flourish throughout their careers.”

Prior to coming to NC State, Brown served as associate vice president for academic affairs at UNC General Administration. She held faculty and administrative positions at Pennsylvania State University, Queens University Charlotte and Winthrop University in South Carolina. From 1994 to 2001 she was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Winthrop.

Arden said a retirement event will be held in the spring to celebrate Brown’s accomplishments.