ECSU Chancellor Installation Week Rescheduled for October

Elizabeth City State University Chancellor Karrie Dixon’s official installation ceremony and events have been rescheduled for Oct. 10 through Oct. 13.

Originally scheduled to take place during the first week of September, the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in the region moved university officials to reschedule the events. Student safety, said Chancellor Dixon, is always ECSU’s top priority.

Chancellor Dixon took over operations of ECSU as interim chancellor in April 2018, upon the retirement of Dr. Thomas Conway. When the University of North Carolina System officially launched an ECSU chancellor’s search, Dr. Dixon was one of the candidates and was named by former UNC System President Margaret Spellings in December 2018.

She is ECSU’s 12th chief executive officer, and the second woman to hold the office.

Dr. Dixon had served as a senior administrator at the UNC System Office since 2008. In 2014, she was promoted to vice president for academic and student affairs, where she was responsible for overseeing the Division of Academic and Student Affairs for the System’s 17 institutions.

Dr. Dixon also served as the chief student affairs officer for the UNC System, working closely with vice chancellors for student affairs and other university leaders. Statewide programs, under her direction, included the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) Pathways and the federally funded NC State Approving Agency. Over the years, her research and scholarly presentations have focused on summer bridge programs, transfer articulation, and strategies for student success.

Before joining the UNC System, Dr. Dixon served 10 years combined at two other UNC System institutions. Most recently, she was an assistant vice provost at North Carolina State University and remains an adjunct assistant professor at the College of Education’s Department of Leadership, Policy, Adult and Higher Education. In this role, she led discussions with graduate students interested in careers in higher education leadership and serving on dissertation committees.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 10

• Faculty and staff celebration, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., second floor of the Ridley Student Center.
• Student celebration, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Ridley Student Center stage area.

Friday, Oct. 11

• Chancellor installation ceremony, 10 a.m., Mickey L. Burnim Fine Arts Center.
• Installation luncheon, “by invitation only,” K. E. White Center, immediate following the ceremony.
• Chancellor’s installation ball, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., R.L. Vaughan Center, $25 per person, black-tie.

Saturday, Oct. 12

• ECSU vs. Virginia State University football game, community event, 1:30 p.m., Roebuck Stadium.
• Athletic Roast and Toast, an alumni celebration, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., R.L. Vaughan Center, $45 per person, attire: all white.
• First daughters’ social, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Bowling Center, invitation only.

Sunday, Oct. 13

• Chancellor’s installation prayer breakfast, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., K.E. White Center.