Pamela Gunter-Smith, the president of York College of Pennsylvania for the past nine years, has announced her plan to retire in June 2023.
During her tenure as president, Dr. Gunter-Smith established the Center for Community Engagement and Marketview Arts in downtown York. Both provide opportunities for students to engage with the local community through experiential learning and real-world problem-solving. She developed a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation through academic programs and outside-the-classroom experiences, culminating in the creation of the Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation and the soon-to-be-completed York College Knowledge Park, a learning laboratory that will enhance opportunities for students and faculty to interact with local businesses and organizations.
The college’s fourth president, she came to York in 2013 after serving as provost and academic vice president at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Previously, she was the Porter Professor of Physiology at Spelman College in Atlanta. At Spelman, she chaired the biology department for 10 years and was the program director of the Center for Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Earlier, she was a research scientist and science administrator at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Gunter-Smith is a graduate of Spelman College. She earned a Ph.D. in physiology at Emory University in Atlanta and did postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.