Tennessee State University alumnus S. Keith Hargrove is transferring HBCUs to become Tuskegee University’s new Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs. Learn more about him and his previous work at his alma mater in the TU release below.
Tuskegee University has appointed S. Keith Hargrove, Ph.D., CMfgE, PE, MBA, as Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs effective January 1, 2022. Hargrove currently serves as dean of the College of Engineering at Tennessee State University.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to return to Tuskegee University and serve in this leadership role that impacts academic programs, support faculty, and the engagement of students for success beyond their college experience,” said Dr. Hargrove. As Provost and Chief Academic Officer, he will be responsible for helping to implement the recently announced 5-Year Strategic Plan, supporting faculty, promoting continuous growth in research activity, and ensuring a rich student experience.
In his role as dean of the College of Engineering for over a decade, Hargrove has increased enrollment, research funding and implemented new academic programs to prepare students for industry, government, study abroad, and entrepreneurship. In 2017, his college was recognized as the Best HBCU STEM Program by HBCU Digest. He previously served as Chairperson of the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing & Information Engineering in the Clarence Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. Hargrove also completed a one-year Administrative Fellowship at Harvard University and was Assistant to the Dean and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Architecture & Physical Sciences at Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama.
Hargrove has worked for Boeing as a Welliver Fellow and General Electric upon completing the Manufacturing Management Program as a manufacturing engineer in the Electronic Systems Division and Transportation Systems. As a research engineer, he has worked for Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Y12/Oak Ridge Laboratory. He also worked as a research professor/post-doctoral at the University of Michigan for the NSF Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems.
Hargrove has received research funding from the National Science Foundation and conducted research projects with Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Boeing, NASA, US Navy, and the US Army in systems engineering, design, virtual and augmented reality, advanced manufacturing, and minority engineering education, and has more than 100+ publications and presentations, and attracted more than $14M in external funding. He is the founding Director of the TIGER (TSU Interdisciplinary Graduate Engineering Research) Institute at Tennessee State University, a group of laboratories funded by external grants and contracts. The TIGER Institute has collaborated with other disciplines such as health sciences, psychology, and education. He has received several awards for teaching, research, and mentoring.
He is an Associate Member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Institute of Industrial Engineers, American Society of Engineering Education, Tennessee Academy of Science, and the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. He is recognized as a Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), registered professional engineer (PE), and recently certified as a Professional in Engineering Management (CPEM).
Hargrove received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa as a CIC Fellow. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee State University as a General Motors Fellow, MS from the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, MO, as a National GEM Consortium Fellow. He is recognized as the first GEM Fellow to obtain a Ph.D. He completed the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (HELF) program and the Becoming a Provost Academy, sponsored by the American Society of State Colleges and Universities (AACSCU).
A firm believer in K12 STEM education, he is a founding board member of STEM Preparatory Academy, a local charter school in Nashville, Board Member of Smithson Craighead Academy, Advisory Board in Engineering for Stratford STEM Magnet High School, and served on the advisory board of Union Elementary STEM School. At TSU, he received the Community Service Award for Administrators to engage with the local community and K12 schools. Dr. Hargrove is also a strong advocate for mentoring tenure-track and minority faculty throughout their academic careers, and Co-Editor and contributor of “Navigating Academia: A Guide for Women and Minority STEM Faculty,” published by Academic Press (Elsevier), and author of “In Search of Academic Leadership: A Primer for Faculty Development.”
