Office Hours with John Gardner
What do Chief Student Affairs Officers do? Dennis Pruitt answers this question and examines the institutional paradigm shift from are students ready for colleges to are institutions responsive to students. He shares the impact of innovations developed over 43 years at University of South Carolina such as the Carolinian Creed on campus culture.
Guest Bio
Dennis Pruitt, vice president for student affairs and vice provost at the University of South Carolina, has led the University’s Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support since 1983. He designed the university’s first and award-winning enrollment-management model, developed what is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most thorough strategic-planning processes in the field and significantly enhanced the university’s student-service programs.
In 2011, NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education honored Pruitt with the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Service as a Dean, one of the organization’s most prestigious awards. Pruitt’s other awards include NASPA Southeast Region’s John Jones Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer, NASPA’s Outstanding Pillars of the Profession Award, NASPA Southeast Region’s Bob E. Leach Award for Dedicated and Outstanding Service to Students and the Armstrong State College Distinguished Alumni Award.
Pruitt earned his doctorate in education from Carolina, his master’s degree in counseling/student personnel services from West Georgia College and his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Armstrong Atlantic State University.
