Outstanding Alumni – Tracey Ford (EdD, 2002)

Betz Kerley

How many professional hats can one person wear? If you’re Tracey Ford – the answer is 18. As director of the Center for Academic Excellence at North Carolina A&T State University, this go-getter must never sleep.

“As the director, I provide leadership for several programs including: new student success courses, academic advising, tutorial programs, supplemental instruction, student athlete academic enhancement, Project MARCH and SISTERS learning communities for males and females respectively, and developmental instruction,” explains Ford.

In her spare time, Ford serves on and chairs numerous committees including General Education Task Force, Enrollment Management, and Chancellors Council on Intercollegiate Athletics and Provost’s Council on Athletics. She was also recently appointed to serve on a committee to develop partnerships with the Guilford Technical Community College, and she is the co-chairperson for the Chancellor’s Commission for the Review of Student Success.

When Ford was asked why she decided to choose a career in higher education, she responded, “I always wanted to be an educator, but I wasn’t sure how I would get there. My initial idea of education was being a teacher in K-12 or faculty at the college level.”

After Ford completed a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, her focus expanded when she saw a need to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) fields. Ford further explains, “As I began my studies at IHE, my interest broadened to access, retention and graduation for low-income and minority students regardless of discipline. From that point on, I strategically took positions that allowed me to learn as much as I could about this area.” She adds, “This position at A&T affords me the opportunity to do just that. I even get to utilize my STEM experience, because NC A&T State University is a leader in the area of educating and graduating STEM students and STEM research.”

Dr. Ford applies what she learned at the Institute to her many demanding roles at the Center for Academic Excellence. “What I learned about the history, organization, finance, and leadership of higher education helps me every day.” She also credits the IHE for the opportunity to study institutional research. “More and more, administrators are needing to analyze and make sense of data,” explains Ford. “We can’t improve student success without having a strong sense of what the data is telling us. In addition, program assessment is critical, so data collection, analysis and utilization are paramount to the continuous improvement of programs.” Ford gives high marks to her major professor. “Dr. Libby Morris taught me so much about being a professional. In particular, she met with me before I took this position and gave me solid advice on being an effective leader. I wrote down everything she said and implemented every piece of that information and credit her for helping me in my growth as a leader.”