Heritage University is strengthening two of the programs at the heart of its mission to support student success and teaching excellence with the appointment of two accomplished educational leaders.

President Dr. Chris Gilmer recently announced that Dr. Latara Lampkin will serve as director of the Ross Institute for Student Success, and Dr. Gloria Jones-Dance will lead the Center for Intercultural Learning and Teaching (CILT).

Together, the appointments position Heritage to expand research on effective practices for serving first-generation, rural, and historically underserved students while continuing to invest in faculty development and teaching excellence.

“These are two exceptional leaders whose work reflects the very best of Heritage University,” Gilmer said. “Their combined expertise will strengthen our ability to serve students, support faculty, and share what we have learned with educators across the country.”

For Jones-Dance, the appointment represents a natural extension of work she has been doing for years. Since joining Heritage in 2015, she has served as a faculty member in the College of Education and College of Humanities, advised students, led faculty development initiatives, and co-facilitated CILT for the past seven years.

Founded in 2003, CILT supports faculty through workshops, classroom observations, consultations, and other professional development opportunities grounded in student-centered teaching practices. The center also serves as a hub for intercultural learning, helping faculty create classroom experiences that reflect Heritage’s commitment to inclusion and belonging.

Jones-Dance played a significant role in expanding those efforts, including coordinating University 101, Heritage’s foundational student success course. In her new role, she will guide the next chapter of CILT’s work, helping faculty continue to create meaningful and equitable learning experiences for students.

While Jones-Dance’s work focuses on strengthening teaching and learning on campus, Lampkin will lead Heritage’s efforts to share its expertise with a broader audience through the Ross Institute for Student Success.

Named in honor of Heritage’s founding president, Dr. Kathleen Ross, the institute serves as a center for research, educational leadership, and faculty development. The institute builds on decades of work demonstrating how student-centered approaches can help learners thrive and provides opportunities for faculty research, visiting scholars, and collaboration with institutions across the country.

Lampkin joins Heritage from Florida State University’s Florida Center for Reading Research, where she served as a senior research associate. A nationally recognized scholar, her work has focused on educational policy, faculty development, organizational improvement, and student success. Throughout her career, she has partnered with educators, policymakers, Minority-Serving Institutions, and nonprofit organizations to identify and promote effective educational practices.

Together, Jones-Dance and Lampkin will help advance Heritage University’s growing reputation as a national leader in serving New Majority students—those who are first-generation, low-income, rural, and historically underrepresented in higher education.

“The combination of these two dynamic educational leaders will be a force for good at a critical time in higher education,” Gilmer said. “Their work will help position Heritage as a national model for student success while continuing to strengthen the learning experience for our students right here at home.”