Debra A. Buchanan serves as Vice Provost for Student Life and Director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement program. She has more than 20 years of varied higher education experiences. These include serving as advisor to student government associations at three institutions, instructor at a technical institution and a major university, program developer and manager, proposal writer, recruiter, bursar, accountant, housing director, associate dean of students, and assistant to the vice president for student life, to name a few. She also has experiences establishing collaborations and associations with various internal and external constituencies such as university presidents, boards of governors, politicians, university alumni, executives of federal agencies, representatives of accrediting bodies, small business owners, and vice presidents of major for profit and nonprofit corporations.

Since coming to Jackson State in July of 1995, Debra has established collaborations with fellow administrators and with faculty, staff and students to develop, manage, and implement effective programs and services. Under her leadership, the general conditions of student housing facilities and operations were greatly improved; she provided input into the design and construction of major residence hall renovation and construction projects; developed training programs for full- and part-time housing staff; improved housing's operational policies and procedures; and provided more efficient management and record keeping of departmental funds. Her other contributions to the Division of Student Life and to the university as a whole included the following: Coordinating staff development programs for all Division of Student Life members; providing leadership to colleagues for the assessment of student life programs and services as part of the university's self study for accreditation reaffirmation process; creating student enrichment and development programs including campus-wide observations of national events; promoting faculty and staff participation in student-centered programs; strengthening collaborations and coordination between the divisions of academic and student affairs for the production of new student orientation programs; securing external funds for instituting "best practices" for student recruitment, retention, and remediation; establishing campus-wide new student mentoring programs; and, securing external funds to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral study with assistance from faculty mentors.

Debra has varied work experiences and skills that were acquired while serving in administrative positions at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater); Langston University (Oklahoma); the University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls); Hawkeye Institute of Technology (Waterloo, Iowa); and, Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena). Her professional interests include all facets of higher education administration, with special interests in budget and finance, higher education accreditation review, facilities management, and institutional development. Debra (a native Mississippian) earned the doctoral degree in higher education with an emphasis in administration from Oklahoma State University; the master's degree in agency counseling from the University of Northern Iowa; and, the bachelor of science in sociology from Mississippi Valley State University. Additional study was done at the University of Northern Iowa in management, after earning the master's degree.