Allison Mitchall ’15 PHD — who has over 20 years of experience in higher education and is passionate about supporting students as they navigate to and through a university — will be the NC State College of Education’s new assistant dean for student success beginning Jan. 29, 2024.
“I’m excited that Dr. Mitchall will be returning to our College of Education in this role,” said College of Education Dean Paola Sztajn. “She will bring with her familiarity with our college, strong experience and wise leadership.”
Most recently, Mitchall served as the senior assistant dean in the newly launched Thrive Hub holistic advising model in the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill, and she was the program director for eAdvising at the College Advising Corps, where she supervised a team of 32 eAdvisors who supported 7,500 high-achieving, low/moderate-income high-school students in applying and matriculating into the nation’s top universities.
Previously, she worked for 10 years at NC State — first in advising in the Poole College of Management and then for eight years as the director of student involvement and diversity coordinator in the College of Education.
Additionally, she earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Research and Policy Analysis (with a higher education administration concentration) from NC State’s College of Education, where her research focused on removing barriers to college access for first-generation college students.
“I am excited to be back at NC State because it truly feels like home,” Mitchall said. “I earned my Ph.D. from NC State, worked here for 10 years; my husband got his master’s degree here, and my daughter is a current senior here, so I have many wonderful memories and connections to the university. But what truly led me to return was the opportunity to create new and innovative opportunities for our students, at both the graduate and undergraduate level, to maximize their experiences at NC State … I look forward to collaborating with the Student Success team to look strategically at how we can further the college’s mission and vision for graduate and undergraduate student success.”
As the College of Education’s assistant dean for student success, Mitchall will be responsible for the success and wellbeing of undergraduate and graduate students across the College of Education. She will lead the college’s Student Success team, including the Student Services and Advising Center, as well as lead undergraduate scholarships coordination and administration; undergraduate and graduate student enrollment management and recruitment strategy; strategic community outreach; and the college’s graduation ceremonies. She will succeed Anona Smith Williams ’91MS, ’02EDD, who is retiring later this semester after over three decades with the College of Education.
“This is a multifaceted leadership role that encompasses advising, enrollment management, community engagement, scholarships, milestone events like commencement, and high-impact programs like SAY Village, Transformational Scholars and Teaching Fellows, among others,” Mitchall said. “This position blends the facets of higher education that I most enjoy and enables me to think strategically using my background in both advising and student affairs.”
In addition to earning her Ph.D. from the College of Education, Mitchall completed her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Media Analysis from New York University and her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from the City University of New York’s Baruch College. She also served in student success and advising roles at St. John’s University and Juilliard in New York before working at NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill and the College Advising Corps.
“A key early priority is to continue to operationalize the mission of the Student Success and Strategic Community Engagement unit in alignment with the broader college and university strategic plan,” Mitchall said. “This will involve examining trends in education impacting enrollment, retention, and student success and engaging with key stakeholders, including students, faculty, donors, scholarship recipients, community partners and alumni, among others. This environmental scan will enable me to better understand the current landscape in the College of Education, learn where the needs are, refine the vision for our work, then explore key metrics to address where needs are unmet.”
She added, “From the onset, it will be important to get to know the team doing this amazing work every day to build trust and a sense of camaraderie, explore their unique challenges and opportunities, and discuss how I can begin to address their needs as well. Gathering feedback from key constituents and building strong partnerships will be essential.”
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