Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour Named Penn College's New President

Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour has been named president of Pennsylvania College of Technology, an affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University and Pennsylvania's premier technical college.

Her appointment was made following a unanimous vote by Penn College's Board of Directors. The vote was preceded by a recommendation from the Presidential Search Committee, which aided in a national search for a new president.

Dr. Gilmour, who had been serving as the College's interim president, said she would "accept on behalf of the faculty, staff and students of Penn College ... because it would be all of us working together to make Penn College an even better place in the future."

She added, "This is truly an honor for me. But it takes more than one person to make a college strong. Together, with a shared vision for our future, we all will do our best to serve our students and our community into the 21st century."

The Board appointed Dr. Gilmour to the post of chief operating officer last October following former President Dr. Robert L. Breuder's announcement that he was retiring. Upon his Dec. 31, 1997, retirement, the Board named Dr. Gilmour as interim president while the nationwide search was conducted for a permanent successor.

Dr. Gilmour joined the College's faculty in 1977 as an instructor and curriculum developer in the dental hygiene program at the former Williamsport Area Community College. She moved through the ranks of faculty and, in 1983, accepted her first of many administrative assignments, including coordinator of dental hygiene, division director for Health Sciences, and dean of instruction. In 1993, she became the College's highest-ranking academic officer: vice president for academic affairs. In 1996, she was named vice president for academic affairs and provost.

She earned her Ph.D. and master's degrees in health education from The Pennsylvania State University, as well as a bachelor's degree in dental-hygiene education and as associate's degree in dental hygiene from West Liberty State College. She is a licensed dental hygienist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Among her community affiliations and professional activities, Dr. Gilmour serves on the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, as president of the Community Arts Center Board of Directors, and on the executive committee of the Penn College Foundation Board of Directors. She is a community advisor for Leadership Lycoming, a mentor with the Duquesne ILEAD Doctoral Program, and a participant in the American Council on Education National Forum, Office of Women's Identification Program: National Network of Women Leaders.

A native of Enola, Dr. Gilmour resides in Williamsport with her husband, Frederick T., Penn College's director of instructional technology and distance learning.

Dr. Gilmour is the second president of Penn College. Dr. Breuder was president when the College, then Williamsport Area Community College, affiliated with Penn State in 1989 to become Pennsylvania College of Technology.

As president, Dr. Gilmour will lead more than 1,100 employees including 236 full-time faculty members and 392 staff members, as well as adjunct faculty and part-time employees and a student body of approximately 5,000. Penn College includes the main campus in Williamsport, the Aviation Center at the Williamsport Regional Airport, the Earth Science Center near Allenwood, and the North Campus at Wellsboro.