June 28, 2023 – Millikin University has named its next Vice President of Student Affairs, the university administrator who advocates for students and works to develop their campus experiences.
Wallace Southerland III has over 30 years of higher education leadership experience and will assume the position effective July 1, after Raphaella Prange’s departure in May. Southerland has taught in adjunct faculty positions for 14 years and most recently served as Michigan Technical University’s Special Assistant to the President, where he researched and recommended various strategies for promoting student success and engagement. He’s worked for universities across the nation, from the University System of Maryland’s Salisbury University to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“We are a great partner to help Millikin fulfill its promise to students, families and the community,” Southerland said in a press release. “We want them to graduate and be prepared for the great big world. Because of the kind of programming and outreach services that Student Affairs provides, I think that makes us vital to any university.”
Southerland earned his undergraduate degree in English and his Master of Science in Counseling and Human Resource Development both from the University of Bridgeport and his doctorate in Education Policy, Planning and Administration from the University of Maryland. Although he’s worked at universities with larger campus populations in the past, he said he’s excited to work for a university with a tight-knit culture.
“I celebrate that size because it means more of an opportunity to create those meaningful connections and an authentic community,” Southerland said in the release. “I’m looking forward to being in a setting like this.”
As a previous advocate for student affairs in various roles at UIUC, Southerland said he’s familiar with Millikin’s reputation for strong creative and arts programs and its Performance Learning approach. He said he’s excited to engage with those aspects of the campus community and more.
“I love … the idea of merging the academic work with the hands-on practical work of internships, study abroad and so forth,” he said. “We want to help create a sustainable, equitable and just society. In Student Affairs, we should develop programs and services that help Millikin prepare students to take on those responsibilities.”
Southerland and family—his wife, Medra, who works at UIUC, his daughter, a UIUC junior, and their dog, Twix—live in Champaign.
