Following a national search, Davie Jane Gilmour has been named
president of the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, replacing
Robert L. Breuder, who announced his retirement last September.Following a national search, Davie Jane Gilmour has been named
president of the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, replacing
Robert L. Breuder, who announced his retirement last September.
Her appointment was announced by the college's board of directors on May 4, following a recommendation by the search committee. Gilmour had been serving as Penn College's interim president since October. Her appointment is effective immediately.
Gilmour, who began her career 20 years ago at Penn College's predecessor the Williamsport Area Community College, has moved through the ranks of faculty and administration and has served as vice president for academic affairs and provost of the college since January 1996. As chief academic officer of Penn College and a member of President's Council, she has provided leadership and direction for credit and noncredit programming; supervised curriculum development, revision and evaluation; and authored and administered academic policies and procedures.
During her tenure, Gilmour has been responsible for facilitating the development of the college's first bachelor degrees -- which number 22 to date. In addition, several building construction and renovation projects have been overseen by her, including the construction of the health sciences wing of the Robert L. Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center; expansion of the library; and expansion and renovation of Le Jeune Chef Restaurant, which serves as a working laboratory for students in the School of Hospitality.
As leader of the college, Gilmour will oversee 236 full-time faculty members and 392 staff members, along with numerous adjunct faculty and part-time employees. The college's student population is approximately 5,000. In addition to Penn College's main campus in Williamsport, there are an Aviation Center at the Williamsport Regional Airport, an Earth Science Center near Allenwood and a North Campus at Wellsboro.
Gilmour earned her A.S. and B.S. degrees in dental hygiene from West Liberty State College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in health education from Penn State. Before beginning her career in education, she was a dental hygienist for a number of Harrisburg area dentists. She also is a past president of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists Association.
The search committee, chaired by Robert E. Dunham, chair of Penn College's board of directors, received professional assistance in its search from Heidrick & Struggles Inc. of Washington, D.C. Dunham said the search attracted interest from "three to four dozen legitimate candidates." The field was narrowed to eight semifinalists and then three finalists. The three finalists included Gilmour, Jose L. Torres, vice president of academics at Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Kenneth E. Wing, president, SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology in Cobleskill, N.Y.