After spending six years serving at the University of Southern Mississippi, Noal Cochran is what he describes as “coming back home” to William Carey University – this time as the school’s provost.
On June 17, WCU president Ben Burnett announced Cochran’s new position at the university. In his new role, he will be responsible for such duties including – but not limited to – approving promotions, retentions, special hires and new appointments, as well as developing and maintaining an environment that is conducive to the scholarly interaction of students and college-affiliated faculty.
“I’m excited – that’s a great word,” Cochran said. “It’s good to be back at Carey, and it’s good to be back home.”
Cochran has a bachelor’s degree in polymer science and a master’s degree in science education. He has taught chemistry and psychology at the high school and community college levels, as well as general psychology at the community college level.
He earned his second master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and worked in a variety of positions at Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
As an ordained Southern Baptist minister, Cochran has a connection to WCU’s Cooper School of Missions and Ministry Studies. He served as a K-12 administrator before coming to WCU in 2015 as part of its school of education.
At Southern Miss, he served as associate dean for Educator Preparation and Accreditation. Cochran also served on dissertation committees at that university, appearing as a keynote speaker more than 30 times at conferences across the United States.
“Dr. Cochran’s wide professional experience makes him an exceptional choice for this position,” Burnett said in a statement. “In addition to his work as a higher education administrator, his background spans at least five William Carey schools and departments – including the School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences.”
Cochran said he is looking forward to taking over his new role.
“If you look at the provost job description, if you pick a thousand universities, you’ll see a thousand different job descriptions and expectations of the job,” he said. “So a lot of my time as provost and vice president of academic affairs this first few weeks will be really making contact with the academic leadership of the campus, reviewing programs that have recently been brought on board.
“I want to try to get a feel for the vision (of the university), where these academic programs want to go in the future, and have some honest conversations about what our stakeholders … and what these students and families are looking for in higher education.”
Cochran’s selection came after a lengthy search process, during which a committee made up of faculty, staff, vice presidents and deans evaluated candidates. That team ended up interviewing six finalists from a large pool of applicants before choosing Cochran.
Cochran and his wife, Laura, have been married for 33 years. They live in Hattiesburg and have one daughter, Valorie, who is a third-year law student at the University of Mississippi School of Law.
“I love where Carey has positioned itself,” Cochran said. “I think you’ve seen the growth under Dr. Burnett, and I think you’ve seen a university that is not afraid to explore innovation.
“We have the Hattiesburg campus, which is certainly strong, and I think we’re seeing growth across the coastal region, the I-10 corridor, and the Tradition Campus is just (greatly) postioned for that.”
