As Shippensburg University continues to adjust to the departure of former President George “Jody” Harpster, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) has appointed the university’s interim president.

On Jan. 19, SU announced provost and executive vice president Barbara Lyman will serve as acting president in accordance with the Pennsylvania Board of Governors’ order of succession plan. PASSHE appointed Lyman interim president of SU while the search for a new president continues.

According to PASSHE rules, Lyman cannot be selected as president; instead, she may return to her previous roles once another president has been hired. The process to find Harpster’s replacement may take approximately six months, and will involve a series of interviews conducted by SU and PASSHE.

In an email sent to students in late December, Harpster announced his departure from SU due to “important family health matters.”

“For the past two decades, my wife, Leslie and I have enjoyed the opportunity to share in that progress as part of the Ship family — serving in whatever capacity we could to help the university succeed,” Harpster said in his email.

Harpster has had a relationship with the university for the past 40 years. This relationship began when he received his master’s degree from SU in 1974.

Following graduation, Harpster enrolled at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to receive his doctorate. He then served as the dean of students at the university’s Charlotte campus until his return to SU in 1995. Prior to his inauguration in 2015, Harpster served as interim president from 2005-07, then again from 2013-15.

During Harpster’s tenure, SU was named a “military friendly school” and added new programs throughout the university’s numerous career fields, including the first electrical engineering program in PASSHE history. In recent years the university also received its first two doctoral programs, in educational leadership and in counselor education and supervision.

In his email, Harpster expressed his pride in the business relationships SU has established within the Shippensburg community and beyond.

SU’s comprehensive program “Charting the Course, Lighting the Way: The Campaign for Shippensburg University” was among the most successful in its history, according to Harpster.

“All of these successes, combined with hard work and innovative activities of our restructured admissions effort, have helped stabilize enrollment during these especially challenging times,” Harpster said. “So much has been accomplished already, and even greater successes are on the horizon.”

Share