Gibbs Knotts, Ph.D., has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Coastal Carolina University, according to University President Michael T. Benson, D.Phil. Knotts will begin his duties on July 1, and serve on the President’s Cabinet and Executive Council. He will replace Sara Hottinger, Ph.D., who is serving as interim provost and will reassume her position as dean of the HTC Honors College.

“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Gibbs Knotts as CCU’s next chief academic officer,” said Benson. “His depth of experience in higher education, which includes holding key administrative roles at the College of Charleston and Western Carolina University, and familiarity with the region will serve him well as he provides executive-level leadership and strategic vision for the academic mission of our University.”

In addition to providing leadership for CCU’s seven academic colleges, Knotts will supervise the Coastal Student Success Center, Enrollment Management, Institutional Research and Assessment, Global Engagement, Registrar’s Office, Research, University Advising, and University Libraries.

“I am honored and excited to join Coastal Carolina University as the next provost,” said Knotts. “Coastal Carolina is a school on the rise, and I want to thank President Benson for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to working closely with the members of Teal Nation to implement the new strategic plan, enhance the school’s academic profile, and increase student success.”

Knotts currently is the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the College of Charleston, a role he has held since October 2020. Prior to becoming dean, Knotts served as interim dean from May 2019 to September 2020 and chair of the college’s Department of Political Science from 2012 to 2019.

Knotts has published works on political participation, Southern politics, public administration, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He is also a frequent contributor to various media outlets and has two co-authored books: The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of Its People (University of North Carolina Press, 2017) and First in the South: Why South Carolina’s Presidential Primary Matters (University of South Carolina Press, 2019). He received the College of Charleston’s Distinguished Research Award in 2017.

Prior to the College of Charleston, Knotts worked at Western Carolina University, where he held a variety of administrative roles including Master of Public Affairs director, graduate school and research associate dean, political science and public affairs department head, and College of Arts and Sciences interim dean. While at WCU, he also received the 2004 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2010 Board of Governor’s Teaching Award, and the 2010 University Scholar Award.

Knotts’ academic degrees – all in political science – include a B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society; and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Emory University.