GLENVILLE, WV – Dr. Gary Morris has been named Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Glenville State College following a search that began last October.
The announcement was made by Interim President Dr. Kathy Nelson.
“Dr. Morris has served GSC for more than eleven years and has served in a variety of roles including tenured faculty, department chair, interim provost, and associate vice president. Gary demonstrated, throughout the search process and during his on-campus interviews, that he is well-prepared to lead GSC into the future with an enduring sense of ethical decision-making, creative problem-solving, and a strong support of faculty and the academic core of our college. His emphasis upon team-building and his willingness to continue to learn and to grow, both personally and professionally, were evident to many of those with whom he interacted during the search process,” said Nelson.
The search committee included Nelson, four faculty members, two staff members, two student members, and two members of the President’s Cabinet.
As Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Morris will serve as the Chief Academic Officer at GSC and will provide leadership to all academic areas in order for them to reflect the mission of the institution. The Provost is an advocate for all curricular and co-curricular programs, providing leadership and support to faculty and academic staff to ensure consistent quality standards in curriculum and programs that meet the needs of students. The Provost oversees the academic integrity of the institution and provides leadership in long-range planning, budgeting, curriculum, and program development. He also ensures compliance with The Higher Learning Commission and various other accreditation agencies as well as State reaffirmation and regulations. Additionally, the Provost serves as Chief Executive Officer for the College in the absence of the President.
“I am honored to serve as Glenville State College’s next provost. I wish to convey my appreciation to the campus community and the search committee for offering me the opportunity to serve Glenville State College in a new capacity. I enjoyed interacting with everybody that turned out during the interview process; and I look forward to working with the community and serving our students by delivering high quality academic programs and bringing stability to the Office of Academic Affairs. My door is always open if anybody wish to stop and talk to me. Go Pioneers!” stated Morris.
Joining the Glenville State College faculty in the fall of 2008, Morris went on to earn tenure in 2014 and served as Chair of the Department of Science and Mathematics from 2011 until 2017. At that time he began a yearlong stint as Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Old Dominion University. Morris went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry and a doctorate in biomedical sciences, both from Old Dominion. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In 2011, 2012, and 2015 he was selected to participate in the West Virginia Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Summer Fellowship Program. His research focused on enzyme structure-function relationships that provided insight into drug interactions with biological targets in the human body and the impact of environmental toxicants on gene expression and their impact on human development.
Morris also served as a Second Class Diver in the U.S. Navy from 1992-1994. He was trained in underwater ship’s husbandry, both topside support and diving, basic underwater medicine and physics, scuba and surface-supplied diving, decompression chamber operation, use of underwater hydraulic tools, in addition to basic welding skills, drafting, firefighting, and shipboard damage control. He was medically discharged from the Navy as a third class petty officer hull technician.
A hobby thespian, Morris has also appeared in several GSC Theatre performances, the most recent being a reader’s theater performance of A Christmas Carol in December.
He and his wife Athena, who is a GSC graduate, reside in Glenville; they have three children.
