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July 21, 2014 (Misenheimer, N.C.)—Pfeiffer University announces that Dr. Jerry Boone will serve as interim president, effective Aug. 10.  Dr. Boone, who served Pfeiffer College as dean of student affairs and associate professor of English from 1969-82, will hold this new position until a permanent successor to Michael C. Miller is appointed. President Miller announced his retirement earlier this month.

Since his initial period at Pfeiffer, Dr. Boone’s higher education experience and expertise have widened through positions as acting administrator for schools, colleges and universities for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tenn.; president of Ferrum College, Ferrum, Va.; and dean of student affairs and interim president of Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. Most recently, he has worked as a consultant for Sims & Steel Consulting, Asheville, N.C., a firm that specializes in advising nonprofit organizations.

“The board of trustees, senior leadership team, faculty and staff are delighted to welcome Dr. Boone and his wife, Shirley, back to Pfeiffer,” said Samuel J. “Chip” Asbury IV ’78 ’87 (MBA), chair, board of trustees. “With a record of professional success, an intrinsic sensibility for United Methodist tradition and an enduring enthusiasm for the Pfeiffer community, he is the right person at this time to guide the continued implementation of our strategic plan.”

While Dr. Boone was president of Ferrum College, a United Methodist-affiliated institution in southwest Virginia, the college’s endowment grew from $6.3 million to $41 million, receiving in 1992 its largest ever single gift of $12 million. During his tenure, Ferrum implemented the Bonner Scholar program and completed the college’s move to Division III in the NCAA for all athletic programs. In terms of capital growth, the campus bookstore moved to its own building and an Agroecology wing was added to Garber Hall, a primary academic building. The opening of the Grousbeck Music Center expanded both practice and performance space and a new Blue Ridge Institute (BRI) & Museum building doubled the BRI’s exhibit and programming facilities. The construction of the Ferrum Fitness Center (now the Ferrum YMCA) created exercise and recreational facilities for students, faculty and staff.

Dr. Boone earned an undergraduate degree from William Carey College, master’s degree from the University of Alabama and doctorate from the University of North Carolina. He has served as a member of the University Senate of The United Methodist Church; American Council of Education; National Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities of the United Methodist Church; Appalachian College Association; Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia; Association of Educational Institutions of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church; and Southern Association for College Student Affairs.

Dr. and Mrs. Boone reside officially in Gerton, N.C., located near Asheville, and will live on Pfeiffer’s Misenheimer campus in the president’s residence. The Boones have two grown children, Derrick and Erin, and three grandchildren.

Established in 1885, Pfeiffer University is a globally engaged, regional university distinctive for its transformational undergraduate experiences and leadership in professional and graduate programs that fill demonstrated needs on its campuses in Charlotte, Misenheimer and Raleigh, and online. Vested in its history as a United Methodist-related university and propelled by an innovative faculty and staff, Pfeiffer prepares its students for a lifetime of achievement, scholarship, spirituality and service. Visit Pfeiffer at www.pfeiffer.edu or www.facebook.com/pfeifferuniversity. Pfeiffer University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees.

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