Dr. Sharon Warren Cook Named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

10/22/2020

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Contact: Jack Bailey
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
(304) 766-4109
 
   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- Dr. Sharon Warren Cook has been named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for West Virginia State University (WVSU), effective Nov. 9, 2020.

In this role, Cook will serve as the University’s chief academic officer and oversee the University’s four colleges, as well as the Drain-Jordan Library, International Affairs Office, the Center for Online Learning, Information Technology, Institutional Research, Assessment and Effectiveness and Title III programs, in addition to other offices.

Cook currently serves as the associate provost and assistant vice president for academic affairs for Kingsborough College in New York. In this role, she has provided academic vision and direction for the college, integrated academic priorities into the mission of the institution, and developed leadership and oversight for 37 academic degree programs. She led the restructuring of the new academic department of Allied Health; Mental Health and Human Services, comprised of six degree programs, and co-developed the first Maritime Technology Apprenticeship Program in the state of New York.

“Dr. Cook has built a stellar career as a faculty member, department chair, dean and in academic administration, and has been recognized throughout her career on both the state and national level,” said WVSU President Dr. Nicole Pride. “As we look to continue to expand our academic programs to best serve the needs of the state and region, Dr. Cook’s experience and leadership will be invaluable.”

Cook previously served as the interim associate dean for research and institutional effectiveness in the College of Health and Human Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. In this role, she supported development of a new College of Health and Human Sciences and provided oversight for faculty research from pre-award to post-award.

Also while at North Carolina A&T, Cook served as the executive director of the Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging and Community Health, as well as chair of the Department of Social Work and Sociology.
Prior to joining North Carolina A&T, Cook served as a member of the faculty in the department of social sciences at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before serving as the director of field education for the bachelor of social work program.

She has completed leadership training through the City University of New York Executive Leadership Training Program, the Council of College of Arts and Sciences Training Academy and the Center for Leadership and Teaching Institute for Department Chairs.

Cook has successfully obtained research funding for a variety of projects, and has numerous publications to her credit.

Cook earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina Central University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a doctorate degree in curriculum and training from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.