Penn State York will have a new chancellor on Monday, Aug. 1, when Lisa Ann Plowfield, former dean and professor of the College of Nursing at Florida State University, reports for work as chancellor. She is the fifth top administrator in the campus’ history and replaces Joel M. Rodney, who retired this month after more than eight years of service to the University.
Plowfield, 49, returns to her home state of Pennsylvania to serve as the first woman in the top slot at Penn State York. She is a native of Lancaster County, Pa., and a graduate of Warwick High School in Lititz, Pa.
"It is an extreme privilege to be part of a higher education system like Penn State and to be able to help people achieve their dreams and build their success," said Plowfield. "I look forward to collaborative partnerships with the community across industry and educational institutions so we can work together to meet community needs. I also look forward to seeing Penn State York through the eyes of everyone who works there and our students. This is an exciting time for me."
Creating what the community needs is a top priority for Plowfield. She hopes to develop an active relationship between the campus and community and through this partnership help strengthen what can be achieved and what Penn State York will become in the future.
Plowfield earned her diploma in nursing at Geisinger Medical Center School of Nursing in Danville; her bachelor of science in nursing at Thomas Jefferson University; her master's in trauma and critical-care nursing at the University of Maryland; her doctorate in nursing at University of Virginia and a certificate in case management at Johns Hopkins University. She is licensed as a registered nurse in Delaware, Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Plowfield served as dean and professor of the College of Nursing at Florida State University since 2007. In that role, she successfully led the college through national accreditation and a rigorous state university system quality enhancement review; re-aligned the mission and strategic plan of the college to meet the research-intensive focus of the university; established the first doctoral education within the College of Nursing; extended nursing education to statewide regions in need of graduate nursing education; implemented professional and alumni advisory boards; developed the fundraising capacity of the college; and was principal investigator and co-principal investigator of numerous grant awards totaling more than $3.5 million.
She has earned several awards and honors throughout her career, and has been very active both within her university and in the community. She has had numerous articles published in refereed journals and peer-reviewed publications, and has written chapters appearing in nine books. In addition, Plowfield has made numerous presentations both nationally and internationally.
Plowfield and her husband, John, have three children, two sons and a daughter, and they will be residing in York.