Prof. Stephen Wilhite assumed the position of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Success at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah AURAK in August 2017. Previously, Dr. Wilhite served as Dean, Provost, and Interim President at Widener University in the USA, where he also held the rank of Professor of Psychology. Dr. Wilhite has led strategic planning processes focused on the use of high-impact educational practices to encourage student engagement with their subject matter both inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Wilhite has also led efforts to reform faculty evaluation in ways that encourage faculty to become reflective teachers. While at Widener, Dr. Wilhite served as a peer evaluator and institutional liaison for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, one of the U.S. regional accrediting associations. Dr. Wilhite also served on numerous accreditation site visit teams for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education CAPTE and later served a term as a CAPTE Commissioner. At AURAK, Dr. Wilhite played a key leadership role in the university’s successful application for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges SACSCOC another of the U.S. regional accrediting associations, and, he is now an approved peer evaluator for SACSCOC. Dr. Wilhite also co-led AURAK’s successful application in 2021-2022 for accreditation by the Quality Assurance Agency QAA for Higher Education, the accrediting body for higher education institutions in the U.K. Dr. Wilhite serves as an External Review Team member for the Commission for Academic Accreditation CAA of the UAE Ministry of Education, having completed the CAA Certified Reviewer training program. In his leadership role at AURAK, Dr. Wilhite co-chaired the university’s strategic planning process that led in 2019 to the approval of a new strategic plan for the university. Dr. Wilhite completed a B.S. in Psychology (with highest honors) from Emory University, and he earned a D.Phil. in human experimental psychology from the University of Oxford. His research interests in applied cognitive psychology have in recent years been focused on the assessment and development of emotional competence in college students.