Dr. John Thornell served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of North Alabama from 2009-2017. He will conclude a more than 40-year career in higher education by returning to the classroom as a full-time faculty member in the History Department for 2017-2018 before completing his tenure at the University.
In addition, Dr. Thornell served as Interim President at UNA in 2014-2015. Prior to his tenure at UNA, he served as the VP for Academic Affairs and Dean at North Carolina Wesleyan College. However, most of his career was spent at Delta State University, where he began as a faculty member in 1975 and served in multiple positions including Dean of Graduate Students & Continuing Education, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim President.
Throughout his academic career, Dr. Thornell has been an avid scholar authoring books, chapters, articles and numerous presentations as well as grant awards.