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Soraya M. Coley, PhD Provost and Vice President of Academic ...

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<strong>Soraya</strong> M. <strong>Coley</strong>, <strong>PhD</strong><br />

<strong>Provost</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Vice</strong> <strong>President</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Academic</strong> Affairs, California State University, Bakersfield<br />

University Advancement.<br />

Dr. <strong>Soraya</strong> M. <strong>Coley</strong>’s life has been dedicated to the<br />

continual development <strong>of</strong> the potential <strong>of</strong> individuals<br />

through higher education. Often referred to as a<br />

“community-minded” administrator, she has been<br />

recognized for building partnerships that promote student<br />

access <strong>and</strong> opportunity while advancing the university <strong>and</strong><br />

the community/region. With over 30 years in academic <strong>and</strong><br />

administrative roles in different university settings, Dr.<br />

<strong>Coley</strong> brings a breadth <strong>of</strong> experience. Currently, she is the<br />

<strong>Provost</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Vice</strong> <strong>President</strong> for <strong>Academic</strong> Affairs at<br />

California State University, Bakersfield, where she also<br />

assumed an interim appointment as the <strong>Vice</strong> <strong>President</strong> for<br />

For two years she served as the founding <strong>Provost</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Vice</strong> <strong>President</strong> for <strong>Academic</strong><br />

Affairs at Alliant International University where she provided leadership in the<br />

establishment <strong>of</strong> a new multi-campus <strong>Academic</strong> Affairs Division that included six<br />

schools across 7 locations in California <strong>and</strong> two international campuses in Mexico City<br />

<strong>and</strong> Nairobi, Kenya.<br />

Prior to that position, she was Dean <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong> Human Development <strong>and</strong><br />

Community Service at California State University Fullerton; there she received the<br />

university’s highest honor, the “Crystal Elephant” for Outst<strong>and</strong>ing Service <strong>and</strong> was<br />

bestowed Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus status. As a faculty member, she was recognized by both<br />

students <strong>and</strong> fellow faculty members having been selected as “Distinguished Faculty<br />

Member” <strong>and</strong> “Faculty Marshal.”<br />

Throughout her career, Dr. <strong>Coley</strong> has fostered university-community partnerships with<br />

the public <strong>and</strong> non-pr<strong>of</strong>it sectors, K-12 <strong>and</strong> community college systems, <strong>and</strong> businesses<br />

<strong>and</strong> corporations. She has served on numerous community <strong>and</strong> county boards. She<br />

was recognized as “One <strong>of</strong> Ten Women Making a Difference in Orange County [CA]” by<br />

the Orange County Metro Magazine for her volunteerism <strong>and</strong> contributions to youth <strong>and</strong><br />

low income families across the demographic spectrum. The National Association <strong>of</strong><br />

Women Business Owners honored her with the “Education Advocate” Award for her<br />

work with low income <strong>and</strong> at-risk African American <strong>and</strong> Hispanic students. She fostered<br />

linkages between the university <strong>and</strong> the newly-settled Vietnamese community in Orange<br />

County through a funded state education <strong>and</strong> health care initiative. She was selected


for the inaugural class <strong>of</strong> the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Children <strong>and</strong> Family<br />

Fellowship, a year-long program focused on preparing leaders to work at the federal,<br />

state <strong>and</strong> local levels on behalf <strong>of</strong> children, families <strong>and</strong> communities.<br />

Her pr<strong>of</strong>essional affiliations include the American Council <strong>of</strong> Education’s Women’s<br />

Network where she served on the Executive Council; ACE’s Chief <strong>Academic</strong> Officers<br />

Program; the MLE Program <strong>of</strong> the Harvard Graduate School <strong>of</strong> Education <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Millennium Leadership Program <strong>of</strong> the American Association <strong>of</strong> State Colleges <strong>and</strong><br />

Universities.<br />

As a motivational speaker, Dr. <strong>Coley</strong> is <strong>of</strong>ten called upon to present at national <strong>and</strong><br />

regional higher education conferences <strong>and</strong> in community settings. She has written <strong>and</strong><br />

conducted workshops on such topics as: higher education leadership for the 21 st<br />

century; strategic planning <strong>and</strong> budgeting; strengthening the linkages between<br />

<strong>Academic</strong> Affairs <strong>and</strong> University Advancement; achieving educational access, <strong>and</strong><br />

promoting multicultural awareness in education <strong>and</strong> human services. She is co-author<br />

<strong>of</strong> a 4 th edition Sage Publication on Proposal Writing: Effective Grantsmanship.<br />

Dr. <strong>Coley</strong> grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina <strong>and</strong> was recognized with a “Key to the<br />

City” for her stellar achievements <strong>and</strong> commitment to educational access by her<br />

hometown <strong>and</strong> her high school alma mater. She earned her bachelor’s degree from<br />

Lincoln University (PA) <strong>and</strong> was bestowed the “Founder’s Award for Outst<strong>and</strong>ing Alumni<br />

Achievement”. Her MSW <strong>and</strong> <strong>PhD</strong> degrees in Social Planning <strong>and</strong> Policy were<br />

completed at Bryn Mawr College’s School <strong>of</strong> Social Work <strong>and</strong> Social Research. Her<br />

civic affiliations include Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Junior League <strong>of</strong> Orange County,<br />

<strong>and</strong> The Links, Inc. She is married to Ron <strong>Coley</strong> (Lt. Colonel Retired- USMC) who<br />

serves as the Associate <strong>Vice</strong> Chancellor for Business <strong>and</strong> Administrative Services at<br />

University <strong>of</strong> California, Berkeley.

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