Dr. Billy Wooten Joins MGA As Dean Of School Of Arts & Letters 

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2024 12:00 AM
Categories: Pressroom | School of Arts and Letters | Faculty/Staff

Macon, GA

Dr. Billy Wooten

Dr. Billy Wooten is the new dean of the School of Arts & Letters at Middle Georgia State University (MGA). 

Most recently dean of Engaged Learning at Averett University, Wooten has also served as that institution’s executive director of the Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness. He began his MGA appointment on August 1. 

"The faculty and staff at MGA have already made me feel like a valued member of the community, and I am eager to meet with my team in the School of Arts & Letters to see how we can continue to enrich the lives of our students and help them become catalysts for positive change,” Wooten said. “My passion is creating experiential learning opportunities that provide our students with transformative experiences and help them become leaders in their field." 

Dr. David Jenks, MGA’s provost, said Wooten’s experience will help the University continue to strengthen the degree-to-career connections of programs offered by the School of Arts & Letters, or SOAL. 

“Dr. Wooten’s experience represents a great combination of higher education leadership with extensive work in marketing and journalism,” Jenks said. “His background aligns perfectly with our commitment to bridging academic excellence with practical applications. I look forward to working with Dr. Wooten on ways to enhance the educational experiences and career readiness of SOAL students.”  

Originally from Clayton, Ga., Wooten holds a Ph.D in Organizational & Mass Communication from the University of Kentucky, a master’s in Organizational & Mass Communication, Gender Communication, from Georgia State University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Berea College. 

As dean of Engaged Learning at Averett University in Danville, Va., Wooten had administrative oversight of experiential learning programs and advising. As executive director of the Center for Community Engagement and Career Competitiveness, he worked with more than 200 for-profit and non-profit community partners and over 65 teaching faculty on project development, advising, course development, and professional development, among many other responsibilities. He also was associate professor of Communication and Interdisciplinary Studies at Averett. 

In other career highlights, Wooten served as division chair of Humanities and Visual Performing Arts at Berea College in Berea, Ky., and department chair of Communication at the same institution. He also was associate professor of Communication and Broadcast Journalism at Berea. 

Wooten has won a number of awards for his work in higher education and other fields, including receiving the Virginia governor’s Community Engagement Award for the Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness (CCECC) at Averett. 

He has worked on several successful grant proposals, including one from the National Science Foundation to enhance biological sciences at Averett and another, from the Danville Regional Foundation, to boost community engagement and career development work in the Dan River region of Virginia. 

Besides his higher education roles, Wooten served as a marketing and journalism practitioner, with newspaper and broadcasting experience, and experience devising marketing and advertising campaigns for both non-profit and for-profit clients.  
 

Image of Dr. Billy Wooten by Tyler White