Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty

Dr. Adler became Georgia Southwestern’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty on June 1, 2008.  He is the Chief Academic Officer for the university, and is therefore responsible for the oversight of all academic programs and policies of the university, as well as for strategic allocations of resources to ensure that GSW is achieving its mission in the best and most efficient manner possible.  All academic and staff deans report to him, as do the Directors of Institutional Effectiveness and Institutional Research, along with the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Before coming to GSW, Adler served as Dean of the Graduate School at Valdosta State University (2004-08), Director of the University Honors Program (1994-2004), Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Programs (1999-2004), and interim chair of the Philosophy and Religious Studies department (2004).  Previous to this, Adler served as chair of the English department at Marian University (1992-94).  Adler earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina in 1978, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Georgia in 1984 and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee in 1988. 

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Helen Tate joined Georgia Southwestern State University in July as the new associate vice president for Academic Affairs. With a wealth of experience in leadership and communication,

Dr. Tate is poised to make a tremendous impact on the intellectual growth of students at Southwestern. “I am excited about this opportunity and look forward to the challenges and rewards of supporting the academic programs of the University,” she said.

Dr. Tate earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in speech communication from Idaho State University, and she earned a Ph.D. in the same field from the Indiana University. She was most recently division head of Arts and Communication Studies at Columbia College in South Carolina.

While serving as an administrator for much of her career, Dr. Tate’s roots are deep as a teacher, and her students have recognized her ability to lead them. During her career she has received five different teaching awards and has been nominated for numerous others.