Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Success
Dr. Melissa Irvin serves as Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Success at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
In this role, she provides strategic leadership for the Academic Success Center, First-Year Experience & University Pathways unit and Advising & Technology Initiatives, guiding initiatives that promote academic excellence, coordinated care, and proactive interventions.
She previously served as Assistant Dean for Academic Support and Outreach at the University of South Florida, where she oversaw Academic Advocacy, High-Impact Practices & Undergraduate Research, and advising technology & analytics. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Tennessee Technological University, advancing enrollment management and student success initiatives that achieved record retention gains.
Most recently in the Division of Student Success at UT Knoxville, she led the Division’s adoption of Salesforce Student Success Hub and the development of the University Exploratory Pathways initiative for first-time-in-college students admitted with test scores below historical benchmarks.
With almost 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Irvin has contributed to national conversations on academic advising, technology and student success through publications with EDUCAUSE Review, IGI Global, and The EvoLLLution. She has also presented at conferences hosted by AAC&U, NACADA, and NASPA, sharing best practices in data-informed decision making, holistic advising, and digital transformation. In 2014, she was selected as a Maxine Smith Fellows by the Tennessee Board of Regents under the mentorship of then Chancellor John Morgan.
Dr. Irvin earned her EdD in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, an MEd in Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University, and a BA in Psychology from Duke University.
Her work reflects a deep commitment to helping every Volunteer thrive by connecting data, technology, and human care to create a student experience that is both personalized and transformative.
CliftonStrengths: Deliberative, Analytical, Learner, Intellection, Relator