John P. Gardner

John P. Gardner
John P. Gardner
Assistant Vice President for Academic Engagement and Student Success

John P. Gardner is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Engagement and Student Success at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). He is responsible for overseeing and providing strategic planning for improving the university’s retention and graduation rates. The units directly reporting to Gardner are Freshman Residential Life and First Year Experience programs, academic advising services, student academic success center, and student academic support services.

Prior to this position, Gardner served in various capacities at PVAMU, from 2011 to 2016, as Interim Assistant Director of University College, Director of Mathematics for the University Preparation (Math-UP) Summer Bridge Program, Coordinator of the Developmental Education Program, and Assessment Coordinator of PVAMU’s Quality Enhancement Plan.

A native of Houston, Texas, Gardner began his professional career in 1997 after obtaining both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mathematics from PVAMU. He went on to Texas A&M University in College Station where he pursued Post-Graduate Studies in Mathematics, before coming back to PVAMU to pursue a doctorate in Educational Leadership Specializing in Higher Education Administration.

Gardner presently serves on the National Association of System Heads – Taking Student Success to Scale Initiative. Furthermore, he sits on the Texas A&M University System’s Academic Advising Advisory Committee. Over the years, Gardner has been a part of numerous presentations ranging from The Role of Assessment in Sustaining a Quality Enhancement Plan to A Non-Traditional Gateway Mathematics Course for a New Generation of Students.

Gardner was Principal Investigator of Investigating the Enrollment in Contemporary College Algebra. The $20,000 mini-grant looked into the viability of increasing university buy-in and student appreciation of different modalities of learning college algebra. Gardner also served as Program Manager for the Complete College America initiative and Technical Assistant for PVAMU’s National Science Foundation STEM Enhancement Program, a $6.3 million grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

In addition to his professional career, Gardner is a licensed and ordained minister who enjoys fishing, golf, and traveling.