Dr. David Hood serves as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Hood reports directly to President Edward Inch, serves on the President’s Cabinet, participates with the Vice Presidents in overall management of the University, and acts on behalf of the President. Dr. Hood oversees the work of Academic Affairs, including five academic colleges, library and learning, graduate education, research, global education and online education. 

Strategic Focus

Throughout his 14-year administrative career in higher education he has focused on student learning and key performance indicators centered on student success outcomes. Dr. Hood’s diverse experience equips him to provide critical insight into some of the most challenging problems facing higher education through data-driven solutions.

Dr. Hood has focused his team and the Division of Academic Affairs’ efforts on:

• creating a student transfer-friendly campus and solidifying transfer pathways with area 2-year colleges,
• establishing ONLINE minimum teaching standards to provide our students with high-quality and consistent online experiences,
• crafting research-proven plans and setting benchmarks for the Minnesota State System Equity 2030 initiatives related to faculty and staff hiring and student learning opportunity gaps,
• implementing an online faculty success application called Watermark,
• completing the 2-year College of Humanities & Social Sciences merger process, and
• building a campus presence and relationships with students, faculty, and staff.   

Education

Dr. Hood earned his EdD and MS in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University and his BS in Secondary Education, Biology and History from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.