James F. Conneely, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Dr. Conneely has over 39 years of experience in higher education administration. Dr. Conneely currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of North Georgia. He has served at a full complement of institutional types as an administrator, including serving as a President of two institutions and is a tenured faculty member in the College of Education. In addition to his higher education experience, Dr. Conneely has also served as the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky.
His areas of expertise and interest center on strategic and financial planning, auxiliary operations and financial management, retention and student success, organizational and leadership effectiveness, and student life including generational issues.
Dr. Conneely has been active in Southern Association for College and Schools, National Association for Student Personnel administrators including chairing the James E. Scott National Academy for Leadership and Executive Effectiveness, serving as the President of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA), and other professional associations. In addition to serving in leadership positions nationally and regionally, he has also consulted in Mexico, Germany, Canada, and China in relation to his areas of expertise.
He was awarded the Regional Services Award by the United Way of the Bluegrass, recognized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky – House of Representatives, and awarded the John Koldus Award for Outstanding Service to NASPA – Region III and the H. Howard Davis, Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to the SACSA.
Dr. Conneely received his B.A. degree from Saint Bonaventure University, his M.S. in Education from Alfred University, and his Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Additionally, he received certificates from Harvard University’s Management Development Program, Institute for Educational Management, and New President’s programs; and a certificate from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s summer institute at Dartmouth University.
