January 26, 2017
Board of Governors appoints interim president for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Harrisburg – The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education today
appointed Dr. Barbara G. Lyman, provost and executive vice president at Shippensburg
University of Pennsylvania, to serve as the university’s interim president.
Dr. Lyman, who has served as the university’s chief academic officer since 2008, will
serve as interim president during the search for a new, permanent president to replace
Dr. Jody Harpster, who retired last week. Her selection as interim president was made
in consultation with State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan and Shippensburg University
Council of Trustees Chair B. Michael Schaul.
“Dr. Lyman has been an important member of Shippensburg’s administrative team for
nearly a decade,” said Board of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia D. Shapira. “We are confident
she will continue to provide strong leadership to the institution while we search
for a new, permanent president for the university.”
Prior to coming to Shippensburg University, Dr. Lyman served as associate vice president
for academic affairs at the University of West Florida. She previously served as an
associate and assistant graduate dean as well as a full-time faculty member and department
chair at Texas State University – San Marcos, and also was on the faculty at Oakland
University, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and the University of Delaware.
She has held leadership roles at three public comprehensive universities, working
extensively in academic program development, faculty affairs and student success initiatives,
as well as in strategic planning, budgeting and assessment.
“Strong university leadership is essential during a period of transition,” said State
System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan. “Dr. Lyman has demonstrated her leadership abilities
throughout her career. Her familiarity with Shippensburg University and the vital
role it plays in the region and the Commonwealth—and within the State System—also
will be invaluable in the role of interim president.”
Dr. Lyman has a bachelor's degree in English from Anna Maria College; a master's degree
in English and American literature from Brandeis University; and a Ph.D. in curriculum
and instruction from Louisiana State University. She also earned a Certificate of
Advanced Study in teaching of reading from the Harvard University Graduate School
of Education.
A national search for a permanent president for Shippensburg University will begin
later this year.
Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher
education in the Commonwealth, with more than 100,000 degree-seeking students and
thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs.
Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300
degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State
System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg,
Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery
Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate
branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield
(Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including
the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.