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Terrell Retirement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Erika Krehbiel
June 30, 2008 (773) 442-4226
e-krehbiel@neiu.edu
Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Melvin Cleveland Terrell to Retire
CHICAGO, IL — Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Vice President for Student Affairs and Professor of Counselor Education Dr. Melvin C. Terrell has announced that he will resign from his position as Vice President on September 1, 2008. At the end of the year, Dr. Terrell will retire from Northeastern Illinois University to pursue other professional interests, spend more time with his family and travel. Dr. Terrell has served in his position for more than 20 years as an advocate for students.
Dr. Terrell’s contributions as Vice President for Student Affairs are numerous, and he moved the division of Student Affairs forward in key areas including student services, assessment, increase in grant funding, and advocacy of underrepresented groups. He counts among his accomplishments the foundation in 1989 of the Minority Mentorship Program, “Partners for Success,” a program designed to improve the persistence and academic goals of Hispanic and African American students.
“I have been privileged to be a part of the NEIU community for 20 years. I have enjoyed a wonderful career, and I am extremely proud of my tenure at NEIU,” said Dr. Terrell. “I believe that the division of Student Affairs will benefit over time from new leadership and fresh ideas.”
During his tenure at NEIU, Dr. Terrell has been a distinguished member in countless university committees and professional associations. He served as Vice Chair of the Search and Screen Committee for the Provost, and on the President’s Inauguration Committee, among many others. Dr. Terrell has brought national visibility to NEIU by serving in leadership roles in national student affairs organizations such as Director of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Core Council for Professional Issues; President of the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NASAP); and Editor of the NASAP Journal, among other professional roles.
His dedication to the student affairs field was acknowledged when he received the 1990 Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Student Personnel Administrator, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region IV East. Dr. Terrell was the first minority administrator to receive this prestigious recognition. He has also received the 2006 NASPA Region IV-East Award for Outstanding Performance as a Senior Student Affairs Officer.
Dr. Terrell has been a leader and a strong role model. He has encouraged the development, scholarly pursuits and professional representation of his staff. In addition, he has mentored many student leaders, staff members, colleagues, administrators, faculty, not only throughout the Chicago area, but also across the country.
Dr. Terrell is considered by many of his colleagues among the most prolific and influential student affairs practitioners and scholars in the country, authoring more than 30 publications including monographs, book chapters and articles in refereed journals. He co-edited the book How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for Planning and Policy. Recently, he co-edited the timely book, Creating and Maintaining Safe College Campuses: A Sourcebook for Evaluating and Enhancing Safety Programs. Dr. Terrell’s dedication to research in the student affairs field was acknowledged by his peers when he received the 2004 NASPA Outstanding Contribution to Literature or Research Award.
Prior to his arrival at NEIU in 1988, he served as Director of Minority Affairs and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Toledo, where he received the “Administrator of the Year Award” from the student body for three consecutive years. He also served as Director of the Multicultural Education Center and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Education and Human Services at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, in addition to several other institutions.
Dr. Terrell earned his B.S.Ed. Degree (1971) in History and Secondary Education from Chicago State University and his M.Ed. (1974) in College Student Personnel with an emphasis on Counseling from Loyola University (Chicago). He received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Black Studies from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1978) and continued postdoctoral studies at Harvard University and the University of Virginia. In addition, he served as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Florida State University in 1993-1994.
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