President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.to Address Graduates at Saturday’s Commencement Ceremony

East Stroudsburg University President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. will be the keynote speaker at the undergraduate commencement ceremony, Saturday December 15 at 10:00 a.m. in Koehler Fieldhouse. Dr. Welsh was appointed as the thirteenth president of ESU in April 2012 by the Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and assumed her role as the first female president of ESU in July.

Dr. Welsh earned both her undergraduate degree in physical sciences and master’s degree in anatomy from Colorado State University, and her doctoral degree in anatomy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She has published numerous articles in academic journals, has presented at a number of national conferences, and has been involved with a variety of community organizations, including the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls, the Cherry Hill Learning Zone Initiative Advisory Board and Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum Advisory Board.

Dr. Welsh pursued both administrative and academic career paths prior to her presidency at ESU. She began her academic career in 1978 as an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. She remained at USC for 23 years, rising through the ranks to professor and also serving as chair of the Faculty Senate and acting chair of her department before being named associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. Later in her career, she was named senior vice president for academic affairs and provost of Adelphi University in 2001, a position she held for seven years.   Dr. Welsh then became provost of Towson University in 2009, and also served as interim president of the university during 2011. As provost, she was responsible for oversight of academic programs in the university’s six undergraduate colleges, as well as of the Honors College and University Libraries. She was also responsible for the implementation of an organizational audit and re-structuring of the Office of Provost, the development of partnerships between the university and community in order to improve K-12 schools, the implementation of a new core curriculum and revisions to the institution’s application, retention and tenure policies; and partnered with Towson’s division of university advancement to cultivate potential donors.

President Welsh is already making great strides at ESU, implementing new committees and initiatives such as ESU’s Administrative Council and a Summer School Task Force.  She is also serving the local and regional communities in multiple capacities including: the Monroe Planning Task Force, the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce, and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities (NEPACU).  As president of East Stroudsburg University, Dr. Welsh is also a member of the Marine Science Consortium (MSC) board of directors and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).  Since her arrival in July, ESU opened its new Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem, established a collaborative degree program with The Commonwealth Medical College and announced the launch of LYME-AID, the first commercial licensing agreement of faculty/student research at ESU and within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).  Dr. Welsh has actively sought input from various campus and community constituents by hosting meetings and forums and conducting a survey.  All of her outreach efforts have been met with a positive response.

Dr. Welsh is married to Dr. Louis Terracio, vice dean of research and professor at NYU’s College of Dentistry.  They have three children: Nate, Matthew, and Mallory, and one grandchild, Giovanni.

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