West Chester UniversityPresident Laurie Bernotsky

Dr. R. Lorraine (Laurie) Bernotsky was unanimously named the 16th president of West Chester University by the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), effective July 1, 2024. A longstanding champion for public education and State System students, Dr. Bernotsky is a first-generation college graduate who leads the largest *R2 institution within Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. Prior to being named president, Dr. Bernotsky held the position of interim president of Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) as a loaned executive from West Chester University. Known for being a transformative leader in higher education, Dr. Bernotsky is prepared to help West Chester University chart its path toward the next 150 years. 

As a collaborative and inclusive leader who is centered on student success, Dr. Bernotsky holds nearly three decades of progressive experience in higher education. She began her career at West Chester University in 1996 as a member of the political science faculty. When the opportunity opened to serve as associate provost and dean of graduate studies at West Chester University, she competed in a national search for the role and served for several years before becoming provost in 2015. 

As West Chester University’s provost, Dr. Bernotsky successfully led the University’s Academic Affairs Division, which oversees approximately 850 faculty and is comprised of six colleges, as well as two schools, that offers more than 100 academic degree programs while also housing the Office of Institutional Research, the Center for International Programs (now the Center for Global Engagement), the offices of undergraduate admissions, enrollment management, financial aid, the graduate school, and undergraduate student support services. 

Executive vice president was added to Dr. Bernotsky’s role in 2017 and, as the University’s second-in-command, she also assumed leadership of the University’s budget and labor relations function. 

Recognized throughout the Commonwealth as a highly respected and effective higher education leader, Dr. Bernotsky was asked by Chancellor Daniel Greenstein to serve PennWest temporarily in the fall of 2022 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, providing guidance and direction in all operational areas. From October 2022 through June 2023, Dr. Bernotsky worked collaboratively in this loaned capacity to help strengthen PennWest’s operational excellence, strategic enrollment management systems, and long-term plans for financial sustainability. The positive effects of Dr. Bernotsky’s work ultimately led to her appointment as interim president of PennWest on July 1, 2023 by PASSHE’s Board of Governors; she assumed the role four months after her appointment as PennWest’s acting president and following the retirement of PennWest founding president, Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson. 

West Chester University’s Council of Trustees felt especially fortunate to have such an exemplary and highly-sought candidate among its own senior leaders, so it requested and secured approval from Chancellor Greenstein, in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors to authorize the Presidential Search Committee to explore the candidacy of Dr. Bernotsky before deciding whether to proceed to an open national search. The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors concurred with the recommendation and approved the request.

Following its charge, the Presidential Search Committee led a comprehensive and inclusive university-wide process that elicited the feedback of West Chester University students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Numerous opportunities to interact with Dr. Bernotsky were provided through interviews, open forums, and presentations. As a result of the “resoundingly positive feedback that came back from the University community,” the Search Committee unanimously made a formal recommendation to the Council of Trustees on Dr. Bernotsky’s candidacy. The Council voted unanimously to recommend that Dr. Laurie Bernotsky be considered by the State System’s Board of Governors to be the 16th president of West Chester University.  

A social scientist, Dr. Bernotsky earned a master’s and doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford. She also earned a master’s in sociology from Temple University.

*WCU is Designated an R2 by Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education 
West Chester University’s reclassification from Master's Colleges & Universities – Larger Programs (M1) to Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity (R2) was released in an update of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which was posted for a public-review period in December of 2021. According to the classification, R2 universities have “high research activity” in academic settings where teaching is the priority. In an R2 university, most courses are taught by professors who are involved in research activities and often include students in their research work.   

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