April 29, 2016
Dr. Sandra Kelly
Chair, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Search Committee
Associate Dean, South Carolina Honors College
Carolina Trustee Professor, Psychology
University of South Carolina
Via email to Ms. Sarah Livingston (livings@mailbox.sc.edu)
Dear Dr. Kelly:
I submit this letter of application for the position of Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate
Studies at the University of South Carolina. I am currently the Senior Associate Dean for
Academic Affairs of the Arnold School of Public Health here at the University. After more than
twenty years in major administrative roles in the Arnold School, I have developed the skills and
experience to meet the challenges of a position at a higher level. My current responsibilities
include curriculum development, academic assessment, evaluation and accreditation, student
affairs, faculty affairs, and general administration. In this statement, I address how my
experience has prepared me for this position, in particular addressing the priorities and functions
in the position description.
In the area of curriculum development, I work closely with our faculty to develop proposals that
maintain our academic standards and enhance our programs. Specific examples are development
of our undergraduate programs in public health and restructuring a professional doctoral program
to address accreditation criteria. Other initiatives include development of an online program with
the Academic Partnerships initiative and development of several dual degree programs. Most
recently, I am facilitating the move of the athletic training programs from the College of
Education to the Arnold School. As academic program liaison for the Arnold School, I represent
us at the University level as needed for all course and curriculum changes, working with both the
Faculty Senate and Graduate Council governance processes. I have served six years on Graduate
Council, including one as council chair and three as a committee chair, and served on the
Carolina Core committee for four years.
Curricular programs must be associated with student and program assessment. I coordinate our
process evaluations such as student course evaluations and peer reviews of classroom teaching
and have worked with program directors to develop and implement appropriate academic
program evaluations. In addition to satisfying the institution’s SACS requirements, these
assessments are also fundamental to our school accreditation; I have coordinated three
accreditation self-studies (site visits in 2001, 2009 and 2017), in addition to a more peripheral
role with program-level accreditations within the Arnold School. Beyond the University, I have
chaired accreditation site visits for five schools of public health and one stand-alone
baccalaureate program in public health, in addition to numerous accreditation consultations and
site visits as a team member or for other purposes.
Academically strong curricula and quality instruction are only part of what University of South
Carolina students should expect, especially our undergraduate population. We must also provide
the advisement, academic support, life coaching and career counseling, and other services to help
these students become engaged citizens and lifelong learners. In addition to oversight of the
Arnold School’s graduate student services, I have supported our Office of Public Health
Education as our interdisciplinary public health program grew from eight to 800 students in eight
years, in addition to growth of the established exercise science program from 600 to 1200
students in the same time frame. While we embrace the new training opportunities and resources
of the University Advising Center this year, our current faculty advisor model is highly effective,
based on feedback from our students. Our advisors also teach our students and guide their
experiential learning, building strong relationships over time. However, we also recognize the
need for and value of those student services that are provided at the campus level. I have worked
extensively with the campus Office of Academic Integrity and with a variety of other offices and
programs on campus. Because our dedicated undergraduate faculty advisors are so effective, I
have less direct experience with programs such as the Student Success Center. Beyond my
official responsibilities, I serve on the Phi Beta Kappa campus chapter executive committee and
have been closely involved with the membership selection and initiation process.
In addition to the activities described above that relate directly to our academic programs and
support of our students, I also coordinate faculty recruitment, appointment, evaluation, and
tenure and promotion activities for the Arnold School. My original training in biostatistics is well
utilized for annual data reporting for a broad range of assessment and evaluation activities,
including primary responsibility for the school’s Blueprint for Academic Excellence, utilizing
campus institutional research data but also generating reports from our internal data systems. I
also work closely with our administrative staff for all personnel matters, purchasing approvals,
and budget monitoring and projections. At the University level, in addition to various committee
memberships, I chaired the search committee for the previous executive director of the Office of
Institutional Research and Assessment and a committee to develop a new calendar and space
reservation policy (UNIV 6.00).
In reference to other components of this vice provost position description, schools of public
health traditionally have a combination of professional and academic degree programs with
strong experiential components. Community engagement for faculty, staff and students is
inherent in our mission, our course work and our research, so we have been encouraging beyondthe-classroom experiences and service learning long before USC Connect and other recent
campus initiatives were established; we often lead the campus with students earning graduation
with leadership distinction. Most recently, students in our public health capstone course raised
almost $40,000 for sixteen local non-profit organizations. Faculty members across the school
incorporate students into research programs, including through the Magellan program and South
Carolina Honors College thesis projects. Reflecting our commitment to global health, the Arnold
School is building partnerships with several international institutions and leads several study
abroad programs. Because social justice and health equity are critical goals for public health,
diversity and inclusion are identified as key values. We are committed to providing an inclusive
and welcoming environment for all individuals. This is exemplified by appointing one of the first
associate deans for diversity, inclusion and equity on this campus last year.
In considering my accomplishments in both traditional faculty venues and in administration,
several leadership characteristics are obvious: organization, attention to detail, perseverance, and
ability to multi-task. While these characteristics enable me to meet the responsibilities I have
accepted, other characteristics also define more fully who I am: honesty, professional integrity
and a strong sense of ethics, loyalty, commitment to academic excellence, respect for my
colleagues, and commitment to fairness and diversity. I have gravitated to leadership roles in my
academic career. Many aspects of the model of servant leadership describe my administrative
style, but my perspective is always one of service to others while staying focused on achieving
results consistent with mission and goals, values and integrity. Because of this perspective, my
decisions are made with the best interests of the School as the highest priority, not my personal
status and advancement. Similarly, I have excellent relationships with our staff, in large part
because they know I respect and support their roles and view myself as a team player with them,
working toward a common mission.
Thank you for consideration of this application for Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate
Studies. I have dedicated my career to the University of South Carolina for nearly three decades
in the Arnold School, and I hope to have the opportunity to expand my contributions in direct
support of undergraduate studies and accreditation and assessment activities at the campus level.
I look forward to further conversations with you and can be reached as 803-777-3509 or
caddy@mailbox.sc.edu.
Sincerely,
Cheryl L. Addy, PhD
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Professor of Biostatistics
Arnold School of Public Health
Attachments: Curriculum vitae, References