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Campus Review
May 19, 2014
Clayton State Bids Farewell to its Chaucerian
by John Shiffert
Kevin Demmitt Named Interim Provost
And Vice President for Academic Affairs
The only thing miss-
ing on Apr. 23 were a
few of the Canterbury
Tales as Clayton State
University
bid
farewell to Provost
and Vice President for
Academic Affairs Dr.
Micheal Crafton.
Recently named Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs at the
University of West Georgia, Crafton
leaves Clayton State after five years that
clearly made a strong impression on his
colleagues, not the least of whom is
President Dr. Thomas Hynes. And while
the Latin phrase Res Ipsa Loquitur (“the
thing speaks for itself”) nicely character-
izes accomplishments of this Chaucerian
and Latin scholar at Clayton State, it is
only right that Hynes actually list some of
those accomplishments.
“Professionally, he has been a model
leader,” says Hynes. “He has created the
conditions in which a sense of urgency for
actions has been consistent with shared
and collaborative approaches to change.
His leadership in many areas, such as
strategic planning, enrollment manage-
ment, Complete College Georgia, com-
munity engagement, to name but a few,
has been exemplary.
“He brings perspective, intelligence,
integrity, and good humor to academic
affairs, and to the entire university.”
Crafton’s exceedingly well-attended
farewell reception (“He Doth Go West”
and “A Fond Fare Thee Well”) on Apr. 23
bore out the veracity of Hynes’ comments,
in part through encomiums from those
individuals who worked closest with
Crafton over the years, the Clayton State
deans.
“Six months of Micheal Crafton than a
couple of years of someone else,” said
CIMS Dean Dr. Lila Roberts.
Dr. Michael Deis, interim dean of the
College of Business, noted Crafton’s opti-
mism and humor, referring to the provost
as “the original Renaissance man.”
Dr. Nasser Momayezi, dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences praised
Crafton’s unique leadership style, also
characterizing him as the type of person
Dr. Kevin Demmitt, a
20-year veteran facul-
ty member and admin-
istrator at Clayton
State University, has
been
named
the
University’s Interim
Provost and Vice
President
for
Academic Affairs.
“Clayton State is blessed to have a num-
ber of individuals able to exercise leader-
ship in times of transition. As Dr. Micheal
Crafton prepares to leave us after nearly
five years of exceptional service, we are
delighted to announce that Dr. Kevin
Demmitt has agreed to serve as Interim
Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs,” says Clayton State President Dr.
Thomas Hynes in making the announce-
ment of Demmitt’s appointment.
Hynes points out that Demmitt has served
the University in wide variety of capaci-
ties over nearly 20 years, most recently in
the Office of Academic Affairs as
Associate Vice President for Extended
Programs. Included in those leadership
responsibilities have been oversight of
Clayton State’s off-campus sites – notably
the Peachtree City and Henry County
locations – as well as on-line offerings,
the growing dual enrollment program, and
the Office of International Programs.
“His breath of experiences, together with
his strong commitment to academic excel-
lence, and collaborations across programs
and divisions, make him an exceptional
candidate for this position,” says Hynes.
“Like many of our colleagues, I am excit-
ed for this chance to work with Dr.
Demmitt in this new capacity, and I know
he will do an excellent job continuing the
excellent work of Dr. Crafton and our
other Academic Affairs colleagues.”
“I am excited about serving in this capac-
ity,” says Demmitt, a long-time and well-
known resident of Peachtree City, Ga.
“We have a number of academic initia-
tives underway, including developing new
programs to support the film industry,
increasing our engagement with the com-
munity through student internships, and
continuing our efforts to help more stu-
dents graduate and enter the workforce.
My goal is to work with others to keep
them moving forward.
“This marks my 20th year at Clayton
State. Never did I think that my work
could change so much while staying at
one university. It is a wonderful place to
work. There is an engaging spirit of entre-
preneurship as we start new programs and
adjust to the changing landscape. From
the development of new academic pro-
grams, to the opening of new instruction-
al sites, and the growth of online learning
– it has been quite a ride. But our core
commitment to excellent instruction and
serving the needs of our community has
remained the same. That is why I am still
here and enjoying what I do every day.”
According to Hynes, Clayton State
intends to begin the search process to
identify the next permanent Provost
almost immediately. Crafton is leaving
Clayton State to return to the University
of West Georgia as that University System
of Georgia institution’s provost.
Crafton
Demmitt
Crafton, cont’d., p. 15