MGA warmly welcomes Dr. Jesse Bishop, the new Associate Provost of Data Strategy, and Dr. James Blackburn, the new Associate Provost of Academic Innovation.
Dr. Jesse Bishop will join us as the new Associate Provost of Data Strategy as the head of the Office of Institutional Research and Data Strategy. Dr. Bishop is charged specifically with increasing data maturity to standardize reporting and inform discussions. He will be working throughout the institution to ensure our data is firmly embedded throughout MGA and fully integrated into all decision-making and activities. Dr. Bishop comes to us after leading several initiatives at Georgia Highlands College for the past few years, most recently in institutional research and effectiveness. He has taught in higher education for over 18 years, primarily teaching English courses. His recent work involves helping teams and individuals understand how data can be used to shape and support students, staff, faculty, and campus communities. His scholarship has focused on writing pedagogies, assignment design, and American literature and film.
Along with his wife and two children, he is eager to explore the Middle Georgia region and get to know our students, colleagues, and communities. A long-time soccer coach and film festival veteran, he is excited about the vibrant culture and opportunities the region offers.
Dr. James Blackburn will join us as the new Associate Provost of Academic Innovation as the lead in our efforts to improve processes across the institution. Dr. Blackburn is specifically responsible for identifying opportunities for institutional improvement, ranking improvement projects by impact and ease of completion, and recruiting improvement teams to provide recommendations to the Provost and Senior Leadership to resolve. Dr. Blackburn comes to us after leading several initiatives at Georgia State University for five years and has worked with higher education for over twenty-five years. Dr. Blackburn's work focuses on improving student access and success through service design, quality improvement, data analytics, technology enablement, and behavioral economics. Recently, he has been studying how non-cognitive factors, such as socio-economic belief systems, impedes the academic progress of students. Dr. Blackburn hopes this research will lead to AI-enhanced interventions that will significantly increase student learning and improve graduation outcomes.
Dr. Blackburn is a native Georgian and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. When not trying to improve processes, he enjoys performing in several musical groups. Dr. Blackburn plays trumpet in the Atlanta Concert Band, Atlanta Community Symphony, and the Big Peach Swing Band. He’s excited about Macon’s musical heritage and looks forward to performing in some of Macon's musical venues. Dr. Blackburn is married to his high school sweetheart and has one son.
Dr. Bishop and Dr. Blackburn will begin their new roles at Middle Georgia State University in January.