SCF Appoints New Full-time Dean of Academic Affairs
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota has appointed Jamie Tracy as the new full-time dean of academic affairs. Tracy previously served as assistant dean of humanities, arts and letters, professor of photography, and in other academic administration, program management, and teaching roles at SCF. A committee of SCF faculty and staff members conducted a national search for the position, and the college expects to begin another search for a second dean of academic affairs this fall.
SCF is transitioning from an assistant dean academic model, which included teaching and administrative duties for assistant deans, to a more traditional full-time administrative dean structure. The new structure will enhance efficiency, operational consistency and communication across academic units. Tracy is responsible for curriculum oversight, faculty and student support, course scheduling, new program development, academic accreditation, state academic partnerships and revisions, among other duties.
SCF Interim Provost Patricia Rand, Ph.D., congratulates Tracy on his appointment, sharing, “Jamie is a long-serving faculty member with a deep understanding of our students, programs and institutional culture. He brings a wealth of accreditation experience and a demonstrated commitment to collaborative leadership.”
SCF’s new academic leadership structure aligns with other colleges in the Florida College System. Faculty and staff across academic affairs guide the change. The two new full-time deans will oversee two academic divisions, that consolidate the three divisions vacated by Tracy and two retiring assistant deans. The assistant dean of health professions has been promoted to dean.
“The shift to having dedicated, year-round administrators will allow for greater focus on supporting faculty, students and academic operations,” said Dr. Rand. “The new model will increase the number of classes taught by full-time faculty and should increase efficiency and communication.”
Tracy started his career at Manatee Community College (now SCF) in 2004. His roles at the college have included adjunct instructor, instructional assistant, extended adjunct instructor, assistant professor, program manager, associate professor, department chair, professor, assistant dean, interim associate provost and dean of academic affairs. He previously taught at a middle school in the Bronx, NY, a Montessori school in Gainesville, FL, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Ringling College of Art and Design, Santa Fe College, Eckerd College and New College of Florida. In his free time, Tracy advises and mentors Master of Fine Arts degree-seeking students at several institutions and serves as an evaluator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission of Colleges. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Drawn to SCF’s mission to improve students’ lives to strengthen the community, Tracy shared, “I am honored to serve as dean of academic affairs. I see this position as the focal point for student and faculty success. Every decision within this office shall have student success at the forefront, which is directly linked to supporting the faculty in any way they may need it.”
Learn more about SCF on the SCF website.
