Julie E. Wollman, President

Dr. Julie E. Wollman, President

Edinboro University

Dr. Julie E. Wollman became Edinboro University’s 17^th President on June 1, 2012, bringing to Edinboro a successful background in higher education teaching, research, and administration.

The first woman to be named president of the University, she came to Edinboro from Wheelock College in Boston, Mass., where she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs. Prior to that position, she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Worcester State University and Dean of Education and Human Development at Rhode Island College.

Immediately upon becoming Edinboro University President, Dr. Wollman initiated a university-wide planning process that produced updated Mission, Values and Vision statements and new long-range goals for the University, all centered on a renewed commitment to uncompromising excellence and student success.

She also has become active in the community, accepting appointment to the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership Board of Directors, the Hamot Health Foundation Board of Corporators, the United Way Erie Board of Directors, and she Chairs the United Way’s Volunteer Engagement Cabinet, among other roles that represent the University’s responsiveness to the evolving needs of the broader community.  Additionally she is a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Committee on Policies and Purposes and actively seeks to influence policy to advance opportunities for all who to wish to access higher education.

Dr. Wollman was selected to become Edinboro’s president by the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). In announcing her appointment, Board of Governors Chairman Guido M. Pichini praised Edinboro’s new leader, saying, “Dr. Wollman has a long and impressive record in higher education, including in several key administrative positions. We are confident she will provide excellent leadership to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania as we move forward in these challenging times.”

As Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wheelock College, President Wollman was responsible for overseeing the college’s academic programs, both on and off campus, including international programs. She also has been involved both in fundraising, helping to boost Wheelock’s grant funding from $300,000 to more than $4.3 million, and in the establishment of multiple community partnerships to help expand program options and recruit new students. These partnerships included creative pathways toward master’s degrees in health care and an anticipated joint doctoral program with a sister institution—a first for the college.

Dr. Wollman earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American literature and language with a minor in French from Harvard University in 1981. She has a Master of Science degree in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctoral degree in elementary education from New York University. She also attended the Institute for Education Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She began her academic career as a social studies teacher and curriculum coordinator at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pa.

Additionally, she was a teacher at Ethical Culture School in New York City for three years, during which time she also served as a research assistant at New York University. She later worked as a professional development facilitator at the New York Coalition Center for Education Leadership and, in 1989, was hired as an instructor at both New York University and Pace University. She was hired as a professor of elementary education at Rhode Island College in 1992 and spent nearly 15 years at the college, including three years as Dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development. Dr. Wollman was named vice president for academic affairs at Worcester State College in Worcester, Mass, in 2007, where she was responsible for overseeing academic programming. She also led the college’s strategic planning efforts, established an online scholarly journal and redesigned the college’s program review process.

Over the years, President Wollman has written numerous articles that have been published in academic journals, and has written two books on teaching writing and literature. She is an institutional representative to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Council of Undergraduate Research and American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, among other professional associations, and has worked with numerous community organizations.

President Wollman is married to Dr. Dan L. King, Executive Director of the American Association of University Administrators, a national professional organization, and former Provost of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, having retired in 2012 . She has two daughters. Sara Bonilla, 22, a recent graduate of Wesleyan University, and Rosa Bonilla, 17, a senior in high school.

 President's Curriculum Vitae