Dr. Barbara B. Dixon, a former president of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, has been chosen to serve as interim president of Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1. The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) selected Dr. Dixon to lead the university until a permanent president is hired.

“Dr. Dixon will provide excellent leadership to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania during the transition to a new president,” said Board of Governors Chairman Kenneth M. Jarin. “She has many years of experience in higher education, including her tenure as president of Truman State. The Board and I look forward to working with her on behalf of Lock Haven University students. We welcome her to the State System.”

Dr. Dixon served as president of Truman State University from 2003 to 2008 and spent another year as a consultant to the institution’s Board of Governors. She currently is a senior consultant with Myers-McRae Higher Education Executive Search.

“When the opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a chance for me to use my past experiences to continue to contribute to higher education,” Dr. Dixon said. “I’m excited about the opportunity and look forward to working with the campus and the community during this transition year.”

As president of Truman State, Dr. Dixon developed a plan to launch the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised $30 million; helped to stabilize enrollment after a six-year decline; and oversaw a series of facilities improvements, including a $90 million project that included the construction of one new residence hall and the renovation of five others, as well as the renovation of the student union building.

She has served on the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s President’s Council and the Professional Development Committee of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). She was president of the Council of Public Higher Education, the organization that comprises the CEOs of Missouri’s four-year public universities, and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a national consortium of public liberal arts colleges.

She previously was provost and vice president for academic affairs and a professor of music at State University of New York College at Geneseo. She also spent nearly 25 years at Central Michigan University, where she was a faculty member, an associate dean and interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Dixon earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music from Michigan State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, Literature and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado.

Dr. Dixon will take over for Dr. Keith T. Miller, who will leave Lock Haven University June 30 to assume the presidency of Virginia State University. Dr. Miller has served as LHU president since July 2004.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 117,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 454,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.