STAFF

Shane Merritt, Interim Associate Provost for Information Technology
Information to be posted soon.

Hank Lazer, Associate Provost, Academic Affairs
Hank Lazer works with a number of areas on campus including the Creative Campus Initiative (creativecampus.ua.edu), the University Museums, the Office for Disability Services, the University of Alabama Press, Alabama Heritage, and various NCAA academic matters. He has published 14 books of poetry. His most recent book of poems, The New Spirit, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2008, Lyric & Spirit: Selected Essays, 1996-2006 was published by Omnidawn. Lazer teaches courses on modern and contemporary experimental art for the Honors Program and for the Blount Undergraduate Initiative. Born and raised in California, Lazer is a Professor of English and received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and his graduate degrees from the University of Virginia.

Janet Griffith, Assistant Provost, Communications
Janet Griffith has served in leadership roles in public relations, marketing and communications at UA for 26 years.  She came to UA in 1981 as a communications specialist after a successful career at Southern Living magazine in promotions and marketing.  At UA, she was promoted to senior writer/editor and then news services director.  She was named director of University Relations in 1994 following a national search and was promoted to assistant vice president in 1998. 

In May 2006 she was named assistant provost focusing on communications strategies in Academic Affairs including academic reputation management, new academic initiatives during the University’s planned growth phase as well as expanded duties in the area of emergency preparedness and planning. 

Under her direction, UA’s public relations and marketing offices were frequently cited for cutting-edge work winning more than 40 national awards for expertise in branding, communicating university research, strategic communications during leadership transitions, excellence in news writing, community relations, and student involvement programs. 

Mark Nelson, Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs
Dr. Nelson joined the University in 1991 as a faculty member in the Communication Studies Department. He served as Associate Dean for the College of Communication & Information Sciences from 1996-2006. He currently serves as the Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs and the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. As Assistant Provost for Academic affairs, Dr. Nelson works with the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Admissions, the Office of Financial Aid, The Center for Teaching and Learning, and all of the academic colleges to develop a coordinated approach to the University’s undergraduate programs. He works closely with faculty and staff on a range of issues, including enrollment management, retention, curricular issues and scholarships. Additionally, Dr. Nelson facilitates monthly meetings of the University’s Assistant and Associate Deans and the Advisors’ Council.

As Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Nelson oversees Student Affairs Administrative Services, Assessment and Planning, Student Affairs Advancement, Campus Activities, Blackburn Institute, Career Center, Community Services, Counseling Center, Dean of Students Office, Judicial Affairs, Ferguson Student Center, Student Development, Greek Affairs, Housing and Residential Communities, Student Media, University Recreation, Crimson Care, and the Women’s Resource Center.

Dr. Nelson provides consulting services for numerous organizations and governmental agencies throughout the Southeast. His training repertoire includes such topics as Public Speaking, Listening, Interpersonal and Group Dynamics, Leadership Development, and Team Building. He is co-author of the book, Applied Organizational Communication and has authored numerous papers for presentation at the National Communication Association.

David Francko, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School
David Francko manages the academic policies of the Graduate School, and assists the Provost with faculty issues such as promotion and tenure, sabbatical leaves and new faculty orientation. He is a supporter of, and advocate for, the University's academic programs, graduate faculty, and graduate students. For the graduate community, he promotes excellence, provides quality control, maintains equity across programs, and provides a University-wide perspective. He appoints members of the Graduate Faculty and chairs the Graduate Council. Francko oversees the graduate fellowship and tuition programs, including the minority programs.

Dot Martin, Assistant Vice President for Administration
Dot Martin advises and assists the Provost in budgetary matters within the academic areas. She coordinates development of the annual budget process with the academic divisions and monitors the budgets throughout the fiscal year. She serves as the liaison between Academic Affairs and all areas of Human Resources for personnel matters for both faculty and staff, including serving as the academic compliance officer for recruitment.

Jennifer Benson Jones, Ph.D. Office of Academic Affairs
& Office of Student Affairs
Dr. Jones joined The University of Alabama in August, 2005 with a dual appointment with Academic Affairs and Student Affairs and serves as Director, Academic Affairs Retention & Student Affairs Assessment.  Beginning June 2006, she is full time as the Director of Academic Retention.  In this capacity, she is charged with understanding trend data in student retention and developing appropriate retention programs.  Prior to joining UA, Dr. Jones worked for Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company, where she facilitated change management strategies and served as a project manager with state and federal agencies.  Dr. Jones’ also has significant work experience in Residential Life and University Development.  Her dissertation, Effects of Residential Learning Communities, On-Campus Housing, and Gender on Students’ Perception of their living environment, focused on residential community living. Dr. Jones enjoys presenting workshops and Keynotes to student groups. Dr. Jones is married to Dr. David P. Jones.  They have a son Cooper (4) and daughter Riley (3).   

Kathy Morrow, Administrative Assistant to the Provost
Kathy Morrow assists the provost in coordination of the administrative functions of the office. In addition to being the liaison between the public and the Provost, her responsibilities include handling the Provost's calendar, day-to-day correspondence, telephone calls, and visitors. Her goal is to ensure that the image of the Provost's Office is positive and that all callers and visitors, particularly students, receive accurate, helpful information.

Katy Galloway, Executive Secretary
Katy Galloway provides administrative support to the Associate Provost of Communications and the Director of Academic Retention. She assists the Associate Provost of Communications with special projects such as organizing and compiling data for the Emergency Response Group. She also assists the Director of Academic Retention with updates to the Freshman Connection website and organizes data for the Assessment Council. She is responsible for assisting the Chair of the University Committee on Committees where she records minutes and sends out appointment letters to newly appointed committee members.

Jackie McQueen, Executive Secretary
Jackie McQueen provides administrative support to Mark Nelson, Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs. In addition to her routine office administration duties, Jackie’s responsibilities include the coordination of special projects such as the annual new faculty orientation program and luncheon and biannual innovative instructional technology faculty grant symposiums. She compiles, edits, and types special reports as assigned. Jackie is also responsible for scheduling monthly meetings of the Council of Assistant and Associate Deans, which she attends and records minutes.

Karla Nicholson, Administrative Specialist
Karla Nicholson assists the Assistant Vice President for Administration in the annual budget process for all academic areas. She facilitates the processing of recruitment documents for faculty and staff, personnel action forms, and faculty appointment records. She also provides secretarial support to the Assistant Vice president for Administration. Her goal is to represent the Assistant Vice President for Administration in a manner that is professional and helpful to all staff members of the University community and ensure that personnel matters in all academic areas are processed in a timely manner.