On July 1, Dr. Katie Kinney began her term as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Alabama, which is expected to extend through much of the current academic year.
Kinney originally got her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. While working on her graduate studies, she was made aware of a position at UNA with Technology in Motion, which is how she came to work for the university. She decided to move to Florence very soon after getting the job, as she quickly developed a love for the city.
After Kinney finished her doctorate in instructional technology, the department chair for elementary education informed Kinney of a position in adjunct faculty. After teaching a class, she found a previously undiscovered love for higher education.
Soon after, Kinney got married and had her first child, which necessitated a change in her career path, as her previous position involved a great deal of traveling. After speaking with the department chair, she became a full-time faculty member in January 2007.
“I’ve always loved working with students,” said Kinney. “That’s the best part of my job, and we have such amazing students here. I’m constantly impressed by how they overcome so much during their time here. Whether it’s working two or three jobs, or dealing with mental health issues or the loss of a parent, our students are very resilient.”
During her time working at UNA, Kinney has seen her children grow up surrounded by higher education, which mimics her own upbringing.
“My very first remembrance of coming to campus was probably when I was in about fourth grade,” Kinney said. “My parents divorced when I was in third grade, and my mom decided to get her master’s degree so that she could make more money as a single mom. She was working on a paper, and she said we were going to Florence to the library. I remember walking into Collier thinking, ‘Wow, this is the most amazing place!’ I’ve got a lot of fun stories about UNA and what it means to me, personally and professionally.”
When it became necessary for the university to find someone to fill the interim provost position, UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts sought input from deans and his executive council to find who the majority thought would be the best fit for the position.
“At the end of the day, he makes the decision because the provost is the right-hand person to the president,” Kitts said. “I’ve always had a great relationship with President Kitts. He’s been a huge advocate for academics. I’m enjoying working with him in this new capacity, because prior to this role, as the dean of the College of [Education], I worked really closely with Dr. Alexander.”
Kitts believes that Kinney’s new role as interim provost is well-suited for her skillset and meshes well with her goals as a faculty member.
“Dr. Kinney is very well-qualified to be interim provost by virtue of her academic experience and administrative skill,” Kitts said. “She has a heart for students and values what we do as educators. She is also very well-respected by her faculty and staff colleagues, as evidenced by the tremendous support she received when I solicited feedback for this interim appointment.”
After Alexander’s departure, the turn-around time for the interim provost position was very short. Kinney feels that the transition was eased by her previous experience working with Dr. Alexander and President Kitts.
“Dr. Alexander was a great mentor to me,” Kinney said. “He gave me a lot of opportunities. It’s been really interesting because I’ve been at the institution for so long, so I’ve seen a lot of change. What’s exciting to me is that UNA is in such a great place right now. The things that are happening at our institution… I couldn’t be more proud. The fact that we’ve added doctoral programs, the fact that we’ve had Fulbright scholars. Our students do amazing things. In the teacher education world, we’ve got school districts beating down the door to hire our teachers. I think that UNA is in a really good place right now, and that working with President Kitts and Dr. Alexander has definitely helped in my transition.”
Looking into the future of her time as interim provost, Kinney hopes to continue the trend of growth that the university has been experiencing in previous years, and she is excited to work to create the best experience possible for UNA students. Her passion for helping students originates in her time in college and the struggles she faced.
“My initial college experience was not positive at all,” Kinney said. “I was unprepared for college. I came home and my GPA was absolutely horrible. I had a single mom, and she said she couldn’t afford to send me back off. I mean, I came home with a 0.8 GPA my first semester. She said, ‘You’re going to have to come home, go to the community college, and get your act together. I don’t have time for shenanigans.’ That was a defining point in my life, as well as in my career, because I had to get my act together and figure out what I was going to do. I went to the community college and ended up finishing at Athens State. I say all that to say, when I work with students, I tell them to never give up. You have to persevere. That’s the lens that I come from. Once I made a mess out of my freshman year of college, it wasn’t unsalvageable.”
Kinney is excited to have this further opportunity to help students and create an academic environment that shows students that anything is possible with hard work.
“I wanted to be an elementary school teacher,” Kinney said. “I didn’t even know what a provost was! I think that when you work to put students first, evidently the opportunities will follow. I definitely am passionate about students and their success, because I was that kid who needed somebody to come alongside me, and now, here I am.”
