Dr. Artie Travis Selected as New Vice President for Student Affairs

In a campus-wide email on Wednesday, Jan. 8, President Ronald H. Nowaczyk announced that Dr. Artie Travis will be joining FSU as the new Vice President for Student Affairs beginning on Jan. 29, the third day of the spring semester.

Dr. Artie Travis comes to Frostburg from Bowie State University where he has served in the Vice President for Student Affairs position since 2006. Dr. Travis has over three decades of leadership experience in residence life, Greek life, financial aid, retention programs, academic advising, enrollment management, and counseling services.

At Bowie State University (BSU), Travis served as a representative for several University of Maryland system-wide initiatives and provided regional outreach to the Bowie, Maryland and Washington D.C. areas. In an announcement that Travis would be leaving their institution, BSU’s President Aminta H. Breaux wrote that her campus “will be forever grateful for [Travis’] leadership and the compassionate commitment to our students that he demonstrated in so many ways.”

Prior to his time at BSU, Travis held positions in the Student Affairs offices at Elizabeth State University, Oglethorpe University, the University of Connecticut, Furman University, and the University of Maryland at College Park. He has twice been the director of a campus cultural multicultural center at both the University of Connecticut and Western Illinois University.

Travis is a veteran of the United States Army who served two years attached to the 421st Medical Air Ambulance Company in Germany prior to attending college. Travis earned his B.S. and Masters in Political Science/Public Administration from Western Illinois University. Travis earned his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration: Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina.

Travis visited FSU on Nov. 22 and 23 for interviews and public forums prior to his selection as Vice President. TBL attended the student forum and the coverage can be found here. Many of the questions asked of Travis were about marginalized students and diversity on campus. Travis asserted that his commitment to inclusion and equity was present throughout his career, especially at BSU which is a historically black university.

Travis and the Office of Student Affairs face many challenges in the upcoming semester.

First, wait times and understaffing issues at the Office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) continue to impact student mental health. Moreover, a new director for CAPS will need to be identified and chosen.

Additionally, the Frostburg City Police (FPD) moved from their location at 37 S. Broadway to the Lincoln School Building on University Drive on Dec. 19. While

both Chief Nicholas Costello of that department and Chief Cynthia Smith of FSU’s police department are optimistic about the temporary relocation, students expressed concern over this development at the student forum held by Travis in November. The relationship between students and FPD has been rocky following the Sept. 22 incident on Bobcat Court.

Finally, high employee turnover in the Office of Admissions and Registrar’s Office have students concerned about the future. When asked about this, Travis responded that he desired to “stay at Frostburg for the foreseeable future” and would leave only if he “lost the confidence of the students that I work for.”

Dr. Travis was not one of the two initial candidates for the position of Vice President for Student Affairs. Dr. Jeff Graham, the current Interim Vice President of Student Affairs, withdrew his candidacy for the permanent position following TBL’s coverage of his previous employment history. As a result, President Nowaczyk was offered Travis as a replacement nominee. A second candidate, Dr. Kahan Sablo, was also withdrawn from selection. Therefore, by the end of the semester, Travis was the only remaining candidate announced to the campus community. Graham continues to serve as interim Vice President and it is unclear as to what position he will hold on campus following Travis’ arrival.

Dr. Artie Travis’ resume can be found here: VPSA candidate Dr. Artie Travis