White Named Provost
March 23, 2012
UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications
UT Tyler Appoints New Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs
March 23, 2012
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
March 23, 2012
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Public Affairs Specialist
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.565.5769 or 903.539.7196 (cell)
Dr. Alisa White has been named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Tyler, effective June 1, President Rodney H. Mabry announced.
She follows Dr. Donna Dickerson, who has served as interim provost and vice president. One of four finalists, White will come to UT Tyler after serving two years as the provost of Midwestern State University, which is one of four independent public universities in Texas and enrolls about 6,300 students.
“It is a pleasure to welcome back Dr. White to UT Tyler. Most at the university know her as a colleague, as she spent several years at UT Tyler as dean of the arts and sciences college and prior to that, head of our communication department. We thank Dr. Donna Dickerson for her excellent work as interim provost this year,” President Mabry said.
As provost at MSU, she managed an operating budget of $40 million and oversaw more than 200 full-time faculty in six colleges and the graduate school.
White helped revise MSU’s assessment methods, which resulted in a positive response from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. White also was instrumental in forming a strategic enrollment management team under the vice president for student affairs.
Her reorganization of units reporting to the provost’s office also resulted in efficiencies and about $100,000 in annual cost savings for that intuition.
White previously served UT Arlington, where she was an associate professor and graduate adviser. She also has been a faculty member at the University of West Georgia, Louisiana State University – Shreveport and the University of Alaska – Fairbanks.
White holds a master of science in library and information science as well as a Ph.D. in mass communication, both from the University of Tennessee.
Her professional experience includes part ownership of a medium-market radio station in Tennessee and conducting market research for public relations and advertising firms in Louisiana and Georgia. She also has authored and co-authored many refereed publications.
One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.