Two Women Named University Presidents in Pennsylvania

The board of governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has selected women to serve as president of two of the 14 universities in the state system.

Cheryl J. Norton was appointed president of Slippery Rock University. She has been serving as a senior fellow of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Previously, she was the 10th president of Southern Connecticut State University. She was the first woman to hold the position. Before becoming president of SCSU, she was provost at Metropolitan State College in Denver.

Dr. Norton is a graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio. She holds two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in applied physiology from Columbia University.

Marcia G. Welsh was named president of East Stroudsburg University. She is the first woman to lead the university. She has been serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Towson University in Maryland. She served as interim president of the university in 2011. Prior to coming to Towson in 2009, Dr. Welsh was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Adelphi University in New York.

Dr. Welsh holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.