Dr. Felix N. Ngassa is an Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Office of the Provost and a Professor of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of Yaoundé 1 in Cameroon, West Africa, his doctorate in Organic and Physical Chemistry from the University of North Dakota, and his MBA from the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University. Felix joined Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in August 2003.

Before serving in the Office of the Provost, Dr. Ngassa led the University Academic Senate and the Executive Committee of the University Academic Senate at Grand Valley State University for nine years, two years as vice chair, and seven years as chair. He also completed the prestigious American Council on Education (ACE) leadership fellowship in the 2023-2024 academic year, where he learned from multiple leaders across the higher education landscape. Dr. Ngassa’s leadership qualities and attributes include significant experience with faculty governance and a demonstrated ability to lead within a system of shared governance. He embraces a leadership style that fosters collaboration, respect, and team building.

Dr. Ngassa’s expertise lies in the field of synthetic organic chemistry and computational physical chemistry. His research in these areas has contributed significantly to the academic community, resulting in numerous peer-reviewed publications. He has won several teaching and research awards, including the following: Professor of the Year; the Pan-Hellenic Association Excellence in Teaching; the GVSU Alumni Association Outstanding Educator Award; the GVSU Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence Outstanding Undergraduate Mentoring Award; the GVSU CLAS Annual Faculty Service Award; and the Glenn A. Niemeyer Award.