(JACKSON, Miss.) – Jackson State University Director of Athletics Vivian L. Fuller has been nominated by the Southwestern Athletic Conference and selected by the NCAA to serve as a member of the NCAA Division I HBCU Academic Advisory Group.
The newly formed academic advisory group of HBCU presidents, chancellors, athletics directors and faculty athletics representatives looks to develop strategic partnerships to support the academic success of student-athletes.
SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said Fuller’s experience makes her an ideal selection for such an advisory group.
“With her background in sports and higher education, Dr. Fuller will do an excellent job and provide insight into academic and athletic issues at HBCUs,” Sharp said.
Fuller is the first female to lead Jackson State’s athletics department. She joined the JSU team in August 2011 from Sojourner-Douglass College, where she served as dean of the college’s Cambridge, Md., campus. Before joining Sojourner-Douglass in 2003, Fuller spent more than a decade directing the athletics programs at various universities. Fuller is a nationally known expert on academic support programs for student-athletes, academic advising, women in sports and management and gender equity. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Fayetteville State University, a master’s of education from the University of Idaho and a doctorate in higher education administration from Iowa State University.