Candidate Profile for Middle/Southern Regional VP

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David Lee, Ph.D.

Director, Intersessions
Office of the Provost
Southern Methodist University

David Lee is from Ontario, Canada, where he completed Bachelor’s degrees at Trent University in Administrative and Policy Studies, and Anthropology. David earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, and will complete an MBA in December 2019. He has served in the Office of the Provost as Director SMU’s Intersessions since 2016, overseeing January, May, and Summer session programs. He has conducted archaeological field research at ancient Maya city sites in Cayo, Belize, and Petén, Guatemala. He also served as strategic planning consultant to the Government of Belize, devising a 10-year strategic plan for the conservation and economic development of Belize’s cultural heritage resources.

David’s personal thoughts on NAASS

While I have only had the opportunity to participate in NAASS for a short few years, I was immediately struck by the warmth and collegiality of this incredible group of professionals. This organization provides a special opportunity to communicate with others facing the same challenges and opportunities as we all seek to improve the level of service and education to our students. The face of higher education is changing more rapidly today than ever, with increasing pressure to compete for students while at the same time finding ways to serve them better with fewer financial resources. Special session administrators have always faced these circumstances and so we are uniquely positioned to understand and adapt to these changes.

Having had the opportunity to serve NAASS as Assistant RVP for the Southern Region, and this year as part of the membership committee, I am honored to have been nominated to lead as RVP for the newly combined Southern and Middle States Region. My focus will be on continuing to build our membership and the resources that support them. By leveraging our focus on best practices, policy, and innovation, I am confident NAASS will continue to provide critical support to its members and their institutions in the years ahead.