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Office of Academic Affairs Staff

Portrait of Beth Harville

Beth Harville, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President and Provost
Professor Biology & Chemistry
bharville@drury.edu

Dr. Harville came to Drury in 2005. Prior to her role as Executive Vice President and Provost, she served as the Dean of the School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences. As Provost, she is responsible for policies and procedures established by the faculty in pursuance of their academic responsibilities; providing coordinated leadership for the development and evaluation of curricular patterns and teaching methods; recommending the selection, promotion, professional development, tenure and salary of the staff members responsible for academic services and the instructional staff; working with the instructional units to appraise the effectiveness of academic counseling and to devise organization and procedures to improve its effectiveness; coordinating all academic services of the university; evaluating the qualifications and accomplishments of the student body; appraising the current and future numerical and qualitative requirements of the university for faculty members and for staff members responsible for academic services; determining current and future requirements for the facilities and equipment needed for instructional programs and academic services; coordinating and directing the budget process for the academic and academic service departments; and directing the administrators of academic and academic service departments, programs and services in the performance of their administrative duties. She teaches in both the chemistry and biology departments. Her teaching interests include biochemistry and molecular biology.

Education:
B.S., Southwest Missouri State University, 1989
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Kansas City, 1995

Portrait of Leah Blakey.Leah Blakey

Associate Provost of Academic Quality
Professor of History

lblakey@drury.edu

Dr. Blakey is a Professor of History and Associate Provost at Drury University.  In this role, she oversees the Your Drury Fusion curriculum and academic assessment at the University.

Biographical Information:

She has pursued an academic career involving international business, government work and pedagogy, culminating in a doctorate from Saint Louis University.  She received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Advising in 2014 and was named Educator of the Year in 2007.  Through her ongoing interest in education and pedagogy, she has spoken at conferences around the United States.

Drury University faculty member since 2004
Professor since 2021

Portrait of Jennifer JoslinJennifer Joslin, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Director of Robert and Mary Cox Compass Center
jjoslin@drury.edu

Dr. Joslin brings deep experience to her inaugural directorship of the Robert and Mary Cox Compass Center. The Compass Center is a foundational component of the Your Drury Fusion curriculum. The Compass Center connects incoming students with an entire team of academic and career advisors who will work with them from before their first day on campus through graduation.

Since 2013, Dr. Joslin served as associate director of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. She was responsible for training and creating top-flight curricula for academic advisors and administrators around the globe. Before joining NACADA, Joslin spent five years as director of the Office of Academic Advising at the University of Oregon and 13 years as associate director for training and development at the University of Iowa.

In the classroom, Dr. Joslin taught as an adjunct instructor, primarily at the graduate level, for Kansas State University, the University of Oregon, the University of Iowa and Brigham Young University. Among others, subjects included academic advising, learning principles, the history of higher education, women’s studies and college transition for first-year students.

Dr. Joslin holds a both Ph.D. and a master’s in health and sport studies from the University of Iowa. She earned a bachelor’s in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Deborah Derden

Director of Institutional Research
dderden@drury.edu

Jeff Riggins

Director of Academic Affairs Support Services
jriggins01@drury.edu

Jeff supports the Division of Academic Affairs by providing management and oversight of various processes pertaining to faculty (i.e. faculty contracts, promotion/tenure, faculty awards, sabbatical leaves, faculty governance, and faculty evaluations), budget, academics, and institutional accreditation. He manages and directs all academic division administrative staff and serves as the liaison to Human Resources, deans/chairs, and administrative staff as well as the coordinator for annual faculty salary surveys (i.e. CUPA and AAUP).

Biographical Information:

After more than 25 years in the corporate world, Mr. Riggins began teaching adjunct at Drury University (Day School, GO, and the College of Graduate Studies). He became a Drury staff member in 2017. Jeff earned his M.A. in communication (integrated marketing) from Drury, and his B.S. in communication management from Missouri State University. Riggins is a proud fourth generation US Army veteran.