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Morgan State University President David Wilson today announced the appointment of Gloria J. Gibson, Ph.D. as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.
“I commend the selection committee for its diligent and exhaustive work to find just the right candidate to fill this vital position, and they did a fine job. Dr. Gibson impressed us as an extraordinary leader,” says Dr. Wilson. “We were looking for an individual who is energetic, visionary and transformational, who can work with us to take this university to the next level of academic excellence and preeminence. I believe Dr. Gibson will be able to carry out that charge. She is a good fit for Morgan.”
“The search committee for the provost position, which was made up of 20 representatives from the faculty, administration, staff and students, did an awesome job in choosing some extremely well-qualified candidates,” says Anna McPhatter, Ph.D., chair of the search committee. “Dr. Gibson rose to the top of that short list, and we could not be more pleased with President Wilson’s selection.”
Dr. Gibson has been in higher education for more than 20 years, serving in a number of different roles, at several institutions. She has served most recently as executive vice president and provost, professor and, briefly, as interim president at the University of Northern Iowa, since 2009. Before that, Dr. Gibson served as the inaugural dean of Arkansas State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and in various capacities at Indiana University Bloomington, including associate vice chancellor of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and associate professor of the school’s Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department. She is a staunch supporter of the liberal arts and is looking forward to joining President Wilson’s team at Morgan.
“I am excited and honored to become the new provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Morgan State University,” says Dr. Gibson. “Morgan is an institution of committed faculty, staff and students. The opportunity to be a member of the Morgan family and to build on its historic success is exhilarating.”
Dr. Wilson shares Dr. Gibson’s excitement.
“This is an exciting time to be at this university,” he says. “Morgan is on a path of ascendancy and is well-positioned to take its place as the premier urban research institution in Maryland and one of the best in the world.”
Yacob Astatke, D.Eng., chair of Morgan’s University Council, applauds the appointment of Dr. Gibson.
“Although all four candidates who were finalists were outstanding, we are very excited to see that President Wilson has selected Dr. Gloria Gibson,” says Dr. Astatke. “We believe that she clearly understands the university’s strategic plan and is ready to join us in moving Morgan forward to assume its place on the world stage of academic distinction.”
Dr. Gibson says her first few weeks on the campus will be busy with meetings, listening and learning. She wants to better understand the culture of Morgan State University and the greater Baltimore community.
“I am ready to get started,” she says.
Dr. Gibson has a strong background in music, having earned a B.A. and M.A. in music education at Southern Illinois University. She received her Ph.D. in folklore, with a concentration in ethnomusicology, at Indiana University Bloomington. Her appointment as Morgan’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs is effective Jan. 5, 2015.
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 60 academic programs leading to bachelor’s degrees as well as programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. As Maryland’s public urban university, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
