The First Woman President of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Helen F. Giles-Gee was named the 22nd president of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Currently, she is the president of Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, a post that she has held since 2005. When she takes office on July 16, Dr. Giles-Gee will be the first woman president in the 191-year history of the university.

Previously, she was provost at Rowan University in New Jersey. She has also served as dean of the School of Professional Studies at SUNY Cortland, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and director of articulation at the University System of Maryland, and executive assistant to the president at Towson State University in Maryland.

“I am honored and excited to join University of the Sciences as its president at a time when its mission of educating strong leaders in the fields of health and the sciences is crucial to the success of the state and the country,” said Dr. Giles-Gee. “The University has an established history of achievement as the premier college of pharmacy in the nation. I look forward to the opportunity to work with USciences students, faculty, staff, board, alumni and its surrounding community to foment a solid expansion in the sciences and healthcare fields that fulfill vital needs for economic development, entrepreneurship, and graduate accomplishments. These are the fuel of the quality of life of citizens in many communities and I believe that the University is determined and extraordinarily able to ignite that fuel.”

A native of Alabama, Dr. Giles-Gee earned a bachelor of arts in psychobiology, a master of science in science education, and a PhD in measurement, evaluation, and techniques of experimental research from University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she holds a master’s degree in zoology from Rutgers University.