KSU appoints Dean of University

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ)- Kentucky State University has appointed Dr. Lorna Le’Anne Shaw-Berbick as dean of the university. She begins her new position effective May 26, 2015.

Shaw-Berbick is an innovative administrator and educator with proven ability in establishing collaborative work environments and high performance teams in higher education to achieve mission-driven goals and objectives.

“On behalf of the University, I am excited to have Dr. Shaw-Berbick join our team,” KSU President Raymond M. Burse said. “I am confident that she will greatly enhance our ability to move our faculty and university forward. Her demonstrated experience as an administrator and educational visionary as well as her ability to manage a budget makes her a great fit for Kentucky State University.”

Shaw-Berbick has served as the dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., where she managed a budget of about $9 million and a full- and part-time faculty of more than 200 as well as 12 staff members. She also provided oversight of six departments and two programs.

Shaw-Berbick said she accepted the position because she felt a connection to Burse’s vision for the University.

“The president laid out a number of achievements and challenges for the institution that resonated with my experience and my skill set, and I felt called to accept these challenges and become part of the team,” Shaw-Berbick said.

Her professional experience also includes appointments at the American Intercontinental University in Weston, Fla., as director of institutional effectiveness and as campus ombudsman. During her tenure, she was active in standardizing academic affairs protocol, such as learning styles, student services procedures and admissions personnel training. At Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences as well as chair and associate professor. She successfully managed a $1.5 million budget and directed college strategic planning and analysis in the College of Arts and Sciences.

She has served as a visiting professor in intercultural communication theory and speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and as an assistant professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Maryland at College Park, Md.

Shaw-Berbick has received several awards for achievement in leadership and teaching. She is an active member of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Liberal Arts Commission, an active member of the World Wide Forum on Education and Culture in Rome, Italy, and an active member of the Association of International Education and Research in Athens, Greece.

Shaw-Berbick received her Ph.D. from Howard University. She also has a master’s degree in philosophy and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of the W.I.

“As we continue to move Kentucky State University onward and upward, we will make more appointments and hires in order to reach our collective vision for success,” Burse said.