Dr. Wallace Southerland joined Salisbury University in January 2018 as the associate vice president of student affairs. Dr. Southerland comes to SU from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he served as associate dean of students, director of minority student affairs and director of federal TRIO educational outreach programs. Dr. Southerland has a history of providing leadership to academic and retention support services which have included learning centers (including CRLA-certified), academic advising, tutoring, academic mentoring and coaching, and supplemental instruction. At his former university, he was part of an effort to create a Campus Tutoring Group which brought together tutors from across the campus to discuss professional issues. At Salisbury University, Dr. Southerland provides fiscal and organizational oversight of and leadership to the Center for Student Achievement, Student Health Services, Counseling Center, Disability Resource Center, TRIO Achieve, learning outcomes, and strategic planning. Dr. Southerland believes that campus learning centers play a crucial role in ensuring student success.

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A native of Washington, D.C. Southerland earned his Ph.D. in education policy, planning and administration from the University of Maryland, College Park.  He received his B.A. in English and M.S. in counseling and human resources development form the University of Bridgeport, CT.