Dear Faculty and Staff,
After serving as Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement since 2009, and as a psychology faculty member since 1995, Dr. Terri Shelton has announced her retirement from the University, effective June 30, 2024. I know you will join me in thanking Dr. Shelton for her many years of dedicated service to UNCG, congratulating her on retirement, and wishing her well in her next phase of life.
As Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement, Shelton has supported innovative partnerships, meaningful community engagement, and enhanced research and creative activity across the University. Under her leadership, UNCG set a new record for external research funding during the 2022-23 fiscal year, receiving nearly $68 million in grants and contracts from outside funding agencies. This increased funding trajectory has been significant in elevating UNCG’s research profile and has represented an 85% increase in external funding over the past five years. In addition to supporting externally funded research, Dr. Shelton has been a champion of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship and creativity, and she has elevated and supported transformative community-based scholarship and activities.
Dr. Shelton has been a long-term advocate for inclusion, evidenced by her support for the Integrative Community Studies program (also known as Beyond Academics), North Carolina’s first 4-year certificate program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. A leader and advocate for equity, Dr. Shelton has actively engaged and supported UNCG’s NSF ADVANCE grant, faculty affinity groups, and partnered with diverse community members, groups, and networks.
In addition to her administrative role, Dr. Shelton has continued to be an active researcher and scholar – she was awarded the Carol Jenkins Mattocks Distinguished Professorship in 2010 and has been PI or co-PI of over $40 million in external funding since coming to UNCG. The Engagement Scholarship Consortium honored her with the Hiram E. Fitzgerald Distinguished Engaged Scholar Award in 2022. This award recognizes individuals for transformative scholarship conducted through mutual, reciprocal community partnerships that address societal challenges and/or contribute to the understanding and practice of university community engagement.
On another note, when I asked Terri to serve as interim Provost, she immediately answered the call. She has always answered the call, and I am deeply appreciative for her service and leadership to this University and this community.
We are in the process of engaging a search firm and constituting a search committee to recruit Dr. Shelton’s successor. The Provost and I will be sharing more details on the search process when they are available. UNCG’s next chief research officer will build on UNCG’s strong research and scholarly record of excellence, ensuring that we continue to be a leader as an R2 public, research, and community-engaged University.
In the meantime, please join me in congratulating and thanking Terri – though I am glad we will have the benefit of her service and collegiality for the remainder of the academic year.
Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
Chancellor
