McCoy
Cameron J. McCoy, assistant vice president of the Office of Economic Engagement at Lehigh University, will spend the 2018-19 academic year at Mason as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow.
McCoy, one of 43 rising higher education leaders throughout the country serving as ACE Fellows this year, came to Mason to learn more about the university’s commitment to access and innovation and to better understand how Mason has emerged as a leading national university in such a short time.
Mason’s diversity, research profile, economic impact and smart growth plan were also draws to what McCoy called “a school on the move” and “a true innovator among public universities.”
“It’s really a place to admire,” McCoy said. “Even from a distance you can tell there’s a spirit at Mason that’s really about service to the students, faculty and staff and certainly to the Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s something that can be harnessed as the university continues to establish its presence and enhance its brand, particularly on the global scale.”
McCoy is Mason’s third ACE Fellow in the past decade. Curtis A. Carver Jr. (a 2008-09 fellow) is vice president for information technology and chief information officer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. James L. Moore III (2013-14) is vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Ohio State University.
McCoy’s position at Lehigh entails comprehensive external engagement, careers and the economy and emerging initiatives and innovation. The private university in northeastern Pennsylvania has an enrollment of about 7,000.
McCoy graduated from the University of Oklahoma (OU) with an interdisciplinary PhD in economics and educational administration and a master’s in organizational leadership. He earned undergraduate degrees in history, social studies and architectural studies at Washington State University.
An 11-year U.S. Army veteran who served as an intelligence officer domestically and overseas, McCoy worked at the University of Oklahoma for seven years, including as executive director of the Corporate Engagement Office on the OU research campus, home of the National Weather Center.
At Mason, McCoy will meet with faculty, students and administrators as well as attend university events to learn more about Mason’s achievements and challenges. He attended New Student Convocation and the Faculty Conversation event and experienced the first week of classes at the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia. Based in Merten Hall in the Office of Communications and Marketing, he can be reached at cmccoy9@gmu.edu.
“I want to thank President Cabrera and the team here for being willing to host me for the fellowship,” McCoy said. “I’m really looking forward to spending time getting to know Mason and Mason Nation.”