In a continued effort to enhance the institution’s academic offerings and grow the University’s overall enrollment, the Office of the Provost has named Chad Mezera as the new assistant provost for WVU Online effective today (Oct. 21).
In this role, Mezera will help develop a University-wide strategy for delivering high-quality online courses, degrees and executive education to both traditional and lifelong learners. He will work toward establishing strategic priorities and a vision for online programming offered by the institution and implementing quality standards across all aspects of digital education, including student support and success.
“With nearly two decades of experience building successful, nationally recognized online programs, Chad Mezera is a natural fit as the next leader of WVU Online,” said Interim Provost Paul Kreider.“He is both strategic and creative in his approach and has proven time and again that he can innovate and drive growth in the online environment. We look forward to having Chad join our team and building upon our successes.”
A WVU veteran and two-time alumnus, Mezera has been leading growth in online programming at the college level for 19 years and was instrumental in the development and success of the nation’s first fully online master’s degree program in Integrated Marketing Communications at WVU.
With a track record of achieving high student satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue and enrollment growth, Mezera is well positioned to understand how the University can support academic units in their efforts to grow their online enterprise.
“I am deeply passionate about leading WVU’s online and digital education initiatives, where we can blend creativity with operational efficiency to deliver exceptional online student experiences and drive institutional growth,” Mezera said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to guide WVU Online into its next chapter.”
Mezera joined WVU in 2005 as marketing director for the former WVU Reed College of Media IMC master’s degree program, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of marketing recruitment campaigns and market research. Within two short years, Mezera was named program director, expanding his role to include oversight of daily program operations, strategic planning and budgeting.
From 2011-17, Mezera served the college as director of Online Programs for both undergraduate and graduate offerings. During this time, he spearheaded the growth of the IMC program, transforming it into the University’s largest master’s degree offering, achieving a remarkable 777% increase in student enrollment. This growth trajectory saw enrollment surge from 57 actively enrolled students in 2005 to a peak of nearly 450 in 2016.
His work garnered national acclaim as the Outstanding Online Program of the Year in 2015 by the Online Learning Consortium, attained Program of Excellence recognition from the WVU Board of Governors in 2020, and received numerous other industry accolades over the years.
Most recently, Mezera has served as the assistant dean of Online Programs in the Reed College of Media and then the College of Creative Arts and Media. He has directed hundreds of unique courses in seven master’s degree programs, eight graduate certificates, two bachelor’s programs, and seven undergraduate minors. As assistant dean, Mezera has led a high-performing team, along with over 140 online instructors and academic-practitioner faculty.
Cindy Hart has accepted the role of assistant dean of Online Programs in the College of Creative Arts and Media starting today (Oct. 21).