Meet Our New Associate Vice Provost for Academic Advising and Transitions

Gabriel Bermea has been a dedicated advocate for student success throughout his career. Over the last 10 years, he has served as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Director of the Academic Advising Center at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, and Assistant Vice President of Student Success at Tarleton State University.  

In his previous roles, Bermea demonstrated his ability to foster academic excellence and student success as evidenced by the following outcomes:

• Contributed to 20% increase in transfer student enrollment and record setting 80% first year retention rate with implementation of new academic advising model.  And implemented a campus-wide Early Warning System pilot resulting in 62% faculty engagement and over 75 advising appointments for students identified at-risk at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
• Increased the first time in college retention rate by 5% and increased institutional enrollment by 6.16%, both within a one-year timeframe at Tarleton State University.
• Created four new academic recovery intervention programs for up to 2,500 undergraduate learners resulting in a 10% increase in student persistence and enhanced exploratory major students' success with implementation of a new advising model which resulted in an 88% retention rate — 22 percentage points higher than the 66% retention rate for those who did not seek guidance at University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Bermea holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from Benedictine University. He has continually showcased a commitment to professional development and collaborative leadership in the field of academic advising and transitions. Additionally, he has consistently contributed to the academic advising literature through his active research agenda. His academic expertise and vision will play a vital role in supporting students as they navigate their educational journeys and in enhancing academic advising practices across campus.