PARSIPPANY — Dr. Haney will relinquish his position as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Emory & Henry College, a liberal arts college in Southwest Virginia. He arrived there four years ago after nine years atAppalachian State University where he was English Department Chair and then Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. This followed 12 years as a faculty member at Auburn University. He spent a year in Spearfish, South Dakota, as Provost at Black Hills State University and Regents Fellow with the South Dakota Board of Regents. He began his administrative career as Dean of Students at the Cambridge School of Weston, an independent secondary boarding and day school in Weston, Massachusetts.
At Emory & Henry College he has led the development of a strategic initiative for project-based liberal education, supported by a $100,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Much of his effort as Chief Academic Officer has been dedicated to the expansion of the college through graduate programs in health education, including the development of a school of health sciences on the campus of a former hospital, whose first program, a doctorate in physical therapy, began in fall 2015. He raised $600,000 to hire a founding Dean and helped secure a $5 million commitment for support of health sciences programs. He has played a leadership role in the acquisition of an equestrian program, the development of an environmental field station, the establishment of a partnership with the Rensselaerville Institute, the expansion of community engagement initiatives, the growth of the honors program and the expansion of international education. He has also led an academic program prioritization process and several strategic planning initiatives and he has worked on regional and professional accreditation issues.
He holds an MA and PhD in English from the University at Buffalo and a BA in English from Macalester College, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. His scholarship has focused on British Romantic poetry and the philosophical connection between interpretation and ethics, with two monographs on Penn State Press’s Literature and Philosophy series, as well as articles on British Romanticism, literature and philosophy and higher education. Dr. Haney played bluegrass music professionally in the 1980s withJoe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys, and he and his spouse, Lisa Baldwin, occasionally perform together.
“Dr. Haney has the stellar reputation of being an excellent administrator and an effective, collaborative leader,” says Wolfgang Gstattenbauer ’84/13HA, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee Chair. “He has a strong reputation for openness, collegial decision-making and integrity. He also brings a wealth of knowledge of institutional fundraising and an understanding of the equine business. We are pleased to have Dr. Haney serving at the helm of this institution as we fulfill our future goals over the next decade.”
A Presidential Search Committee was established by Gstattenbauer ’84/13 HA after Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite announced inJune 2015 that she was stepping down after being named President in 2009. The Board of Trustees retained the services ofThomas B. Courtice and Dr. Jim Davis of AGB Search, Washington, DC, to assist with the search. Dr. Courtice’s ten years and Dr. Davis’s seven years of successful search experience, with particular emphasis on the leadership needs of private liberal arts colleges, helped guide the Committee through the process. Dr. Haney was selected from 70 applicants because of his strong background in higher education.
“I am extremely honored to be chosen as the 13th president of Centenary College,” says Dr. Haney. “I admire the work that the College has done to remain a thriving, forward-looking institution that prepares students for the challenges of working, living, and contributing to society in the challenging world of the 21st century, and I am excited about continuing that work in partnership with students, staff, faculty, and trustees. Everyone from Centenary and Hackettstown has been very welcoming during the entire search process, and my wife Lisa and I are eager to become active members of our new community.”
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.
Centenary College’s main campus is located in Hackettstown with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County). The Centenary College School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in two locations: Parsippany and Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.
