Gloucester County College names new president

Gloucester County College's trustees have unanimously appointed Russell A. Davis president of the two-year institution.

The board voted July 1, and the appointment was immediately effective, the school said yesterday.

Davis, 49, joined the college in June 2005 as vice president of student services. He was named interim president last July and acting president in February.

He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Hampton University in Virginia and a doctorate in higher education from Morgan State University in Baltimore. He also earned an advanced certificate in educational management from Harvard University.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to lead such a great institution and to have the support and confidence of the college community and the board," Davis said in a statement.

The previous president, William Anderson, left last year to become the chief operating officer for a $2 million federal grant the college received to create a food science program.

Officials credited Davis with being an integral member of a committee that led the college through reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

"Leadership begins with the president," said Milton W. Hinton, chairman of the board of trustees. "Dr. Davis has served with distinction in the last year. . . . He's taken the reins and led well and showed his dedication to this rapidly changing institution."

The college, based in Deptford, has more than 6,000 full- and part-time students and 70 academic programs.

An additional 10,000 students participate in the college's noncredit continuing education division.