Dr. Barbara G. Lyman appointed Provost

Dr. Barbara G. Lyman, vice provost for academic programs and planning at the University of West Florida, is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Shippensburg University. She will join the university this March 17.

University President William N. Ruud, in making the announcement today, said, “We’re excited that Dr. Lyman will join the Shippensburg family. Her experience in various administrative and academic positions during an illustrious career has given her the insight and knowledge needed to enhance the university’s already outstanding quality as well as its outreach in academic programming so important to this region. With her guidance and leadership, the university will continue to be an educational leader in the area and a vital part of the success of the region.”

According to Dr. Lyman, “I share the university’s excitement and look forward to joining Shippensburg University as it moves forward in the 21st Century.”

Dr. Lyman earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Anna Maria College, a master’s degree in English and American literature from Brandeis University, a certificate of advanced study in the teaching of reading from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. degree in curriculum and instruction from Louisiana State University.

While at West Florida, she was involved in the approval of several new academic programs, worked on accreditations for various programs, promoted establishment of the first faculty learning communities at the university, initiated a student success/retention focus in the academic affairs division, and was a member of the Strategic Planning Facilitation Team.

She began her academic career in 1972 as an assistant professor in the Department of Rhetoric at Oakland University. She also was coordinator/instructor of developmental reading at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette; and then assistant professor in the Department of Educational Development at the University of Delaware. She spent 15 years at Texas State University in San Marcos first as a faculty member and then graduate program coordinator in the Department of Educational Administration and Psychological Services, and then as associate director of human resources, interim chair of the Department of Art and Design and as assistant and then associate dean of the Graduate College. She joined the University of West Florida in 2005 as associate vice president of academic affairs and a professor in the College of Professional Studies and was subsequently named to her current position as vice provost.

She has also participated in a number of leadership development programs including servings as a Fellow of the American Council on Education at the University of Wyoming; the Millennium Leadership Initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU); the Management Institute for Women in Higher Education at Wellesley; and as a Summer Fellow of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Dr. Lyman is the recipient of numerous awards and a member of various professional and civic organizations including the Association for Institutional Research, Phi Delta Kappa and the Society for College and University Planning. She has also published widely in professional journals and given presentations at national and international conferences.