Jess Prody Named Minnesota State Administrator of the Year
Jessica Prody, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Cultures, has been named Minnesota State’s 2026 Academic and Student Affairs Administrator of the Year. The award was announced October 27 at the system’s annual Academic and Student Affairs Conference.
The recognition honors Prody’s collaborative leadership in strengthening student success, supporting faculty, and guiding the College’s approach to artificial intelligence in teaching and learning. “Jess demonstrates creativity, innovation, commitment to faculty development, and skill in fostering cross-divisional collaboration,” wrote Vice President of Academic Affairs Gail O’Kane in her nomination.
Over the past two years, Prody led an English Department faculty work group that redesigned the College’s corequisite English composition course, which provides additional support as students complete college-level English. The work addressed a significant barrier to degree completion: English composition is required for every Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Transfer Pathway program and many other programs at the College.
Prody helped create a foundation for decision-making by bringing professional development resources, including establishing a consultative relationship with faculty experts at Community College of Baltimore County. With Jess’s support, the faculty work group went on to make significant changes in the course, moving to fully face-to-face delivery and revising student assessment practices. In collaboration with Academic Success Center Director April Hanson, Jess also secured $200,000 to pilot two academic coaches embedded across corequisite English courses beginning in spring 2026.
Following the changes, pass rates in the course rose to 77%, exceeding the College-wide average.
Prody has also helped lead the College’s response to the opportunities and challenges of generative AI. As co-chair of a faculty and staff work group, she helped develop a college-wide policy on AI use in teaching and learning, organize faculty development opportunities, and create materials to help students understand appropriate uses of the technology.
She also supports English faculty members developing AI-enabled tools and practices that reduce routine work and create more opportunities for meaningful engagement with students. She will continue this work as co-chair of the College’s new AI Advisory Committee.
Beyond these initiatives, Prody serves on the College’s Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy team and recruits faculty for its prison education program, where she has previously taught. She convenes monthly meetings of metro-area Minnesota State liberal arts deans and has shared the results of the College’s English and AI initiatives at system and national conferences.
Prody carries out this work while leading and supporting approximately 100 faculty.