Special Guest - Dr. Michael Beck

Dr. Beck is Wake Tech's new Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Before coming to Wake Tech, he served as the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at River Parishes Community College (RPCC) in Reserve, La. In his position as vice chancellor, he supervised and coordinated campus-wide academic initiatives which focused on student success, while overseeing a range of programs and services, including transfer and technical programs, professional development, faculty development, SACSCOC initiatives, and new program and curriculum development. He recently held a leadership role in acquiring a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of $294,000 to fund the development of a new curriculum for the Industrial Instrumentation degree program. Prior to RPCC, he served as Associate Vice President of Instruction at Spartanburg Community College in Spartanburg, S.C., and Dean of Student Learning at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, N.C. He also held a leadership role in acquiring a $9.2 million First in the World (FITW) grant by the U.S. Department of Education and helped implement proactive success coaching at community colleges across North Carolina to improve student retention and completion. Early in his career, Beck was a history teacher at Stanly Community College as well as Lee County Schools. He earned his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University; a master’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University; and a bachelor’s degree in history from Fayetteville State University.