Keene State College's Ninth President Dr. Helen Giles-Gee

Keene State College's next president predicted "thrilling" years ahead as she visited the College April 25 to accept the position. Dr. Helen Giles-Gee met her new colleagues at a morning announcement and reception after a unanimous vote in her favor by the USNH Board of Trustees.

Dr. Giles-Gee has more than three decades of experience as a professor and administrator at public institutions of higher education, serving most recently as provost of Rowan University in New Jersey. She will assume the KSC presidency on July 1 from Dr. Stanley Yarosewick, who is retiring after 11 years as KSC's president.

"Dr. Giles-Gee thoroughly impressed the search committee with her knowledge of higher education, her management style, her sense of community and good citizenship, and her ideas on how to build upon the fine work that has enhanced the reputation of Keene State College over the past decade," said USNH Chancellor Stephen Reno.

Chairing the search committee for the new president was Dr. John Moody '71, superintendent of the Derry, N.H., schools, and KSC alumni trustee on the USNH Board.

Dr. Giles-Gee is a professor of education at Rowan University, where she served as provost from 2001 to 2005. Prior to coming to Rowan, she served as the dean of the School of Professional Studies at the State University of New York at Cortland; associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs and director of articulation at the University System of Maryland; executive assistant to the president and professor of biology at Towson University; and tenured associate professorand chair of biology at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

"As a lifelong educator,I am honored to be named the next president of such a remarkable institution," Dr. Giles-Gee said. "Together with the faculty, administrators, professional and support staff, and students, we will assure that Keene State will continue to move forward to meet the increasing demands of the future with strong demonstrations of academic excellence and valuable contributions to the Keene community, the state of New Hampshire, and the country."

Dr. Giles-Gee received a bachelor of arts degree in psychobiology, a masterof science degree in science education, and a Ph.D. with distinction in measurement techniques of experimentalresearch, all from the University of Pennsylvania. She also earned a master of science degree in zoology from Rutgers University.

Academic Appointments
One of President Giles-Gee's first duties upon taking office will be to start the search for a new vice president for academic affairs, vacated with the departure last year of Dr. Janet Gross. Dr. Y assumed many of those duties over the last academic year, but now he has appointed Dr. Gordon Leversee to take over as interim VPAA. Dr. Leversee first came to Keene State in 1981 as dean of sciences, taking on leadership roles in strategic planning, facilities master planning, general education revision, and accreditation. Recently he helped lead the effort in the College's most ambitious building project to date, the Keene State College Science Center, which opened last fall. Dr. Leversee has served before as interim vice president for academic affairs, for several years in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, Dr. John Couture M'80, who served as interim dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies since July 2004, has been appointed dean of the School. "I am looking forward to more extensive campus collaboration as we move forward with the General Education process, the four-credit issue, and defining ourselves as a public liberal arts college," Dr. Couture said. "Our professional and graduate programs are integral to liberal learning and the liberal arts."

Larry Welkowitz Honored with Faculty Research Award
Dr. Larry Welkowitz, associate professor of psychology, has been chosen to receive the Keene State College Award for Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship for 2004-05. He is the fifth recipient of the award, which recognizes contributions to research and scholarship at Keene State.

Dr. Welkowitz's primary area of research is child developmental problems, and he is recognized internationally for his work on Asperger's Syndrome, characterized by problems related to social interaction and other behaviors. He is the co-author of two books: The Hidden Face of Shyness and, with his KSC colleague Dr. Linda Baker, Understanding Asperger's Syndrome: Interventions for Therapists, Educators, and Communities. Welkowitz and Baker co-direct the Asperger's Resource Group (ARG).

Dateline Keene, N.H.
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Outstanding Women of New Hampshire
Every March, in honor of Women's History Month, Dr. Y presents four Outstanding Women of New Hampshire awards, based on recommendations from the President's Commission on the Status of Women. This year's recipients included Susan Bloom Newcomer, workforce development coordinator for the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce and a central figure in enhancing local health services, jobs, and educational opportunities; Valerie Nettleton, KSC senior psychology major, campus leader, and vice president of the Class of 2005; Roberta Barry, a longtime middle- and high-school guidance counselor and the regional director of PFLAG – Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; and Mary Mayshark-Stavely, interim director of KSC's Child Development Center and longtime director of the New England Conference on Storytelling for Children.

"A Celebration of Science"
"A Celebration of Science" was the theme of an April ceremony to officially dedicate the new Keene State College Science Center. Along with a ribbon-cutting (above, featuring Dean Gordon Leversee and Student Body President Ben Wheeler), tours, and science demonstrations by KSC faculty and students, the event featured science projects by students from six area schools, from pre-school through high school.

Scholarship Honors Dr. Y's Presidency and Retirement
In honor of President Yarosewick's commitment to public education and the students it serves, the College and community are establishing a scholarship in his name to present as a retirement gift. The Dr. Y Scholarship Endowment will provide scholarships with preference for first-generation college students enrolled in a science curriculum. A first-generation college student himself, Dr. Y majored in physics at the University of New Hampshire. Because there was a public university near his home, he – the son of parents who never attended high school – was able to go to college. He has told his story to hundreds of prospective students as a way of encouraging them to understand the ways that education can transform their lives. His commitment to public higher education and the students it serves is clearly the hallmark of Dr. Y's career and his service to Keene State College. A scholarship endowment seems a fitting tribute.

Please help us build this fund. We hope to raise the $20,000 needed to endow a scholarship before he departs. Contributions can be made by check or credit card. Please send checks made payable to Keene State College with "Dr. Y Scholarship" entered on the memo line. Mail to:
Office of Advancement
Keene State College
229 Main Street
Keene, NH 03462

To make a contribution by credit card, please contact Melanie Lizotte, Gifts Manager at 603-358-2375 or mlizotte@keene.edu.