Dr. Christopher C. Ezell Joins Southwest Tennessee Community College as Vice President of Academic Affairs

For more information, contact:
Brenda Rayner
901-333-4247
bjrayner@southwest.tn.edu

Southwest Tennessee Community College is pleased to announce that Dr. Christopher C. Ezell has joined the administrative team as Vice President of Academic Affairs. A native Tennessean, Ezell holds a B.S. in Sociology and Political Science from Austin Peay State University. He also holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His extensive knowledge of community colleges, student services, diversity, retention, accreditation, and economic development will move Southwest closer toward its strategic goals of building a stronger partnership with the business and industry communities, developing high-demand, sustainable programs consistent with community needs, and acquiring financial support from sources other than the state.

"Southwest Tennessee is an outstanding comprehensive community college and I am very proud to be a part of Southwest. I will work closely with the regional school systems on career pathways, develop additional college and university transfer agreements, and assist students coming to Southwest to begin a new career. In addition, our team will strengthen workforce training opportunities and partnerships with area businesses and industries. I will support the work of our faculty and staff to ensure that Southwest continues to be the education and training leader in Shelby and Fayette Counties," said Ezell regarding his responsibilities at Southwest.

Ezell has served as the Vice President of Academic and Student Services (and chief academic officer) for the past ten years at Danville Community College (DCC) in Danville, Virginia. He previously worked for 25 years with Vincennes University (VU) in Indiana and experienced substantial growth on the campus where he was the Campus Dean and chief administrator. He has overseen external relations and fund-raising activities for numerous campus projects, including scholarships, new buildings, curriculum support, campus safety, professional development, equipment, and remodeling projects.

Ezell has 10 years of production experience with newspapers in Tennessee and Indiana and has published scholarly articles in professional and trade journals on technological change. He has served on local and regional boards such as the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way, and has also served on accreditation teams for the Commission on Colleges.