Dr. Patrick TURNER has over 25 years of working in higher education, specializing in the areas of academic affairs, student support services, faculty development, and student retention. Dr. Turner has worked at such institutions as Georgia State University, University of Montana, Helena College, and currently New Mexico State University (NMSU) with partnerships at Kentucky State University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College. Currently, Patrick serves as the Associate Provost of Student Success (APSS) and Project Coordinator for the Men of Color Initiative in the Office of the Provost and Student Affairs at NMSU. He holds a bachelor in Public Administration, a master’s degree in Human Resource Development, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership-Curriculum and Instruction. As the Associate Provost for Student Success, he is responsible and accountable for planning, coordination, and development of activities that contribute to student persistence, retention, academic and professional success, and completion. That entails fostering collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, administrators, and the community in both curricular and co-curricular ways.
Patrick serves on the Provost Council of African American Affairs, Western Land-grant Cluster for Association of Public Land Grant University (APLU), editorial board member for the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success (JPSS) at Florida State University, and was recently elected as the President of the National Organization of Student Success-Southwest chapter (NOSS). With a research focus on the first-year experience, student retention, persistence, and educational equity, his body of work investigates those elements that either support or impede student academic and social integration. In the article, “Welcoming Ain‟t Belonging: A Case Study that Explores How Two-year Predominantly White Colleges Can Foster an Environmental Validation and Mattering for Men of Color”, Dr. Turner explores the factors that foster an atmosphere of belonging for men of color (MOC) attending a 2-year Predominantly White Institution. His current research explores the implications the three crises (i.e., pandemic, social unrest, and polarizing political environment) had on the student experience.
