Maria C. Bennett Rose was named interim president at Fairmont State University in West Virginia. A member of the faculty at the university for the past 20 years, Dr. Rose has been serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs. She began her academic career teaching fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in a two-room schoolhouse in Idamay, West Virginia.
Dr. Rose is a graduate of Fairmont State University and holds master’s and doctoral degrees from West Virginia University.
Braswell comes to her new appointment with extensive leadership experience in state government, including her current role as general counsel to Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. In her new role, she will provide strategic oversight for the 16 campuses within Connecticut's public higher education system.
Jennifer Gaither, a lawyer by training, has been a Sullivan University faculty member for the past 25 years. She most recently served as the university's associate provost.
Dr. Crowley has served as provost at Ohio Wesleyan University since 2020. She is slated to become the nineteenth president of Kalamazoo College on July 1.
The three women named to provost positions are Nancy Marchand-Martella at the University of Northern Colorado, Lise Youngblade at Colorado State University, and Randi Storch at Western Oregon University.
Although it was initially founded as school for women, the University of Montevallo has never had a woman president. Now the university has reached a historic milestone and selected selected Michelle R. Johnston to serve as its next president.