WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (MAY 10, 2022)—Salem Academy and College has announced the appointment of Dr. Gary Daynes, former Provost of Barton College and current Senior Consultant for Academic Strategies at leading higher education consulting firm CREDO, to succeed Dr. Daniel Prosterman as Interim Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of Salem College effective June 15, 2022.

“When considering Dr. Prosterman’s successor, I immediately thought of Dr. Daynes, who has earned great respect for his academic rigor not only nationally but here at Salem,” Salem Academy and College President Summer Johnson McGee, PhD, CPH said. “Dr. Daynes was a key consultant during Salem College’s 10-year reaffirmation this year by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and played a central role in the analysis and design of Salem’s unique focus on training health leaders.”

In addition to serving as Provost at Barton College, Dr. Daynes previously was Associate Provost for Integrative Learning and Vice President for Strategic Outreach and Enrollment at Westminster College in Utah.

“Dr. Daynes is perhaps best known for his long record of supporting a culture of creativity in the institutions at which he has served,” Dr. McGee said. “He has a deep appreciation of the role the liberal arts must play in educating health leaders who can make the world a better, healthier, and more equitable place.”

Dr. Daynes’ scholarship focuses on the intersection of history, education, and community development. He has chaired a number of civic boards including the Utah Humanities Council and was part of a team that won a million-dollar grant to build a co-working space and entrepreneurship hub in Wilson, North Carolina. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in history at the University of Delaware and his B.A. from Brigham Young University.

“I am so thankful for Dr. Prosterman’s service to Salem during the pandemic and presidential search,” Dr. McGee added. “A beloved teacher and noted historian, Dr. Prosterman left the classroom to become Interim Dean during Salem’s search for a permanent president and agreed to continue in the role during my first year.”

An Associate Professor of History and Race and Ethnicity Studies at Salem College, Dr. Prosterman served in an interim role at the invitation of Interim President Susan Henking before accepting a one-year appointment as Dean and Vice President through this academic year. During Prosterman’s tenure, the College prepared for and navigated the turn to online learning for fall of 2020 and the difficult decision to remain online for spring of 2021.

Salem Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Jenna Sheffield will serve as the Acting Dean of the College until the arrival of Dr. Daynes on June 15. Sheffield joined Salem in August 2021 and has served in a number of administrative leadership roles throughout her tenure at Salem and previously at University of New Haven, where she was Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Assistant Provost for Curriculum Innovation, and Associate Professor of English. In addition to her administrative roles, she is Associate Professor of English at Salem and teaches professional and technical writing.

McGee said that the search for a permanent Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs will begin this summer with the appointment of a search committee. In addition,  the college will retain a major academic search firm.

About Salem Academy and College

Salem Academy and College, celebrating 250 years and built upon a foundation of empowering and preparing girls and women from all around the world to effect change, shatter expectations, and lead. Exclusively focused on developing tomorrow’s health leaders and change agents in STEAM fields and beyond.

Salem Academy and College is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina, a vibrant college town known for arts and innovation. For more information about Salem Academy, please visit salemacademy.com. For more information about Salem College, please visit salem.edu.