Graeme Connolly, PhD, named associate dean for COEHD 

Graeme Connolly, PhD, has been named the inaugural associate dean of faculty and staff success for Augusta University’s College of Education and Human Development.

Connolly has served AU for 25 years in various roles in the Department of Kinesiology, starting as a part-time instructor, then a lecturer and most recently as an associate professor and graduate program director, which he believes has prepared him well for this role.

“As an inaugural position, I think it’s exciting that I’ll have an opportunity to put my own stamp on the position,” Connolly said.

He acknowledges the challenge of the new role, noting it can be “a little nerve-racking because there’s no template in place. You don’t get to look back at what was done before and try to do better.”

Connolly embraces this challenge as a positive, seeing it as an opportunity to do something near and dear to his heart – coaching.

“I’ve been a coach in the athletic arena for a long time, and, in a way, I see this role as a head coach for faculty and staff,” Connolly explained. “The opportunity to use those skills and benefit from those experiences that I’ve had in coaching over the years is going to help me navigate this role. That’s a passion of mine; it’s been a big part of my identity throughout my entire career here at AU, and the opportunity to be able to do that on a day-to-day basis is exciting for me because I know how much I enjoy building relationships.”

The new role was made possible through AU President Russell T. Keen’s Build the Bench initiative, which aims to strengthen the university’s internal infrastructure and invest in its people.

“We are so appreciative of the Build the Bench monies from President Keen that enabled us to create this new mission-critical leadership position,” said Judi Wilson, EdD, dean of COEHD. “Student success is inextricably tied to faculty and staff success. We are excited to have an individual who can focus on that exclusively.”

Connolly, who started June 1, has already made it his mission to connect and build relationships with staff.

“I realized very quickly through the interview process that whoever was in this particular position, it’s important for them to prioritize staff,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have started this role over the summer, and it’s given me more time to be able to connect with staff and prioritize their needs.”

He emphasized the importance of providing staff with opportunities to expand their knowledge base, learn new skills, perfect existing skills and network with like-minded individuals, both on and off campus. Connolly has been conducting daily one-on-one meetings with staff to gain their insights, learn what each team member does and find different ways and initiatives to help them grow professionally and succeed. For him, it’s about creating a culture where people feel connected, supported and genuinely part of something bigger at COEHD.

In terms of faculty, Connolly said one of his biggest goals is to work with them on promotion and tenure. Connolly secured tenure in 2013 and has been through these processes himself. He looks forward to educating faculty on the process and being able to guide them through it while working with the Office of Faculty Affairs.

“We’ve never really had an individual in our department whom the faculty could go to for advice and guidance in terms of the promotion and tenure process, whether that’s an individual pre-tenure or someone going up for promotion or tenure,” he said. “I’m charged with being that individual, being that go-to person, that one voice of truth to help our faculty to navigate what is a very critical area of the career, maybe the most important,” he said.

Another goal of Connolly’s is working on COEHD’s onboarding process.

“We have a lot of new faculty and we’ve added quite a few staff members, which is exciting,” he said. “They’re going to have fresh ideas. I think helping these individuals immediately feel a part of our college and the AU community as a whole is going to be important for me, and I’m going to lean on others in order to do that.”

Connolly said he feels one of the biggest aspects of his role is mentoring – “helping individuals connect with others that can help them fulfill their roles and what we need and help to support them to be successful.”