2015

Dr. Brian S. Merritt
Central Carolina Community College, Vice President of Student Learning/Chief Academic Officer

2013-02-21-1116000058Dr. Brian S. Merritt is the Vice President of Student Learning/Chief Academic Officer at Central Carolina Community College where he provides programmatic and strategic oversight for 127 degree, diploma, and certificate programs and academic support in the Academic Affairs and Student Leaning Division.  He previously served as Dean of Student Learning at Central Carolina where he employed an evidence-based, data-informed, and student-centered approach to maximizing levels of student learning, college access and success.  Brian led an inclusive effort to secure over $4.65 million in grant funding in support of the Central Carolina’s mission and goals, including the college’s first three federal grants in its history.

He has experience in college administration, student affairs, and instruction at the community college, junior college, and university levels, including roles in roles in grants and sponsored programs, orientation and first-year experience, college counseling, and alumni affairs.  He has taught college success courses, life and career planning, and basic skills courses.  Merritt holds a Ph.D. in Education (Higher Education, Administration) with a research focus on the impact of pre/post enrollment intervention on first-generation college success, and M.A. in Higher Education Administration, and a B.S. in Secondary Social Sciences Education.

Dr. Dave Frye
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, Associate Director

Dave Frye is the Associate Director of The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, an institute of the NC State University College of Education that advances education through innovation in teaching, learning, and leadership. In his current role as Associate Director, Dr. Frye facilitates organization and team development, focuses on strategy formulation and execution, and leads business and technical teams to ensure success throughout the innovative research and engagement work of the Friday Institute.  Dave also works closely with faculty and staff to envision and develop large-scale, high-impact initiatives that involve multi-disciplinary, cross-sector teams from around the country.   Most recently, he helped design the MOOC-Ed initiative – a growing catalog of Massive, Open, Online Courses for Educators that have taken the research of the Friday Institute to scale, reaching over 10,000 educators from 70 countries in the last two years.
Prior to joining the founding team at the Friday Institute, Dr. Frye worked as a student affairs professional, with experience in residence life, first-year programs, student activities, and student leadership development. A dedicated life-long learner, Dave holds altogether too many degrees – including an A.A.S. (Music), B.Mus. (Music Education), M.Ed. (Higher Education Administration), and Ed.D. (Higher Education Administration).