Coretta Pittman

Dr. Coretta M. Pittman was appointed as vice provost for community engagement and belonging on July 1, 2025. Before joining the Office of the Provost, her most recent appointment was as associate dean for diversity and belonging in the College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Pittman was also the director of the Ethnic Studies minor. Her home unit is the English department, where she previously taught courses in the professional writing and rhetoric major. In her courses and scholarly work, Dr. Pittman focuses on critical literacy studies, rhetorical theory, and African American rhetorical cultures. 

As the vice provost for community engagement and belonging, Dr. Pittman works with campus partners to build strong community relationships with faculty, students, and staff to help them thrive professionally and personally. She focuses on forming mutually beneficial connections with many of the diverse communities that exist throughout the city of Waco. 

Dr. Pittman believes service is at the core of human connection and experience. When we listen and care for one another, we are doing the work God has called us to do. Ultimately, she sees this role as a vocation and hopes that the outcome of her work on campus and in the Waco community is measured not by metrics alone but by her deep commitment to enriching the lives of the Baylor community and beyond. 

Her commitment to community and service began at Austin Peay State University, where she earned a B.S. degree in English and minored in Black Studies, followed by an M.A. in English. Dr. Pittman later earned her Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Composition and Rhetoric from Wayne State University.