Council of Trustees, President Hawkinson Issue Resolution Honoring Career of Zayaitz

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University Council of Trustees and university president Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson presented a resolution Thursday, Dec. 10, honoring the career of Dr. Anne Zayaitz, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, who will retire in January.

The resolution reads:

WHEREAS, Dr. Anne Zayaitz served as the university's chief academic officer, a member of the president's cabinet and has been second-in-command of the university since March 2015;

WHEREAS, that under her leadership as provost, the university secured two new accreditations, added four bachelor’s and two master’s programs, 18 minors, eight certifications and announced its first two doctoral programs;

WHEREAS, her work led to higher retention of KU students and significant improvement in the four-year graduation rate;

WHEREAS, Dr. Zayaitz has been a member of the Kutztown University community since 1985, when she joined the faculty in the Department of Biology. She taught various biology courses at KU for 14 years, advancing to associate professor. During that period, Zayaitz regularly advised more than 70 students, helped secure more than $300,000 in grants and served as the university ombudsperson. She then moved to the administration in 2008 as interim associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, assuming the permanent role in the university’s largest college in 2009. She became interim dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2009, and was promoted to the permanent role in 2011;

WHEREAS, she has served on many committees at KU through the years, including chair of the search committee for the vice president for enrollment management and student affairs.  She served as a member of the Women's Center Advisory Board, Commission on Human Diversity and the University Safety Committee. She was an advisor to the Best Buddies student organization.  In the community, Zayaitz serves on the board of Communities in Schools of the Lehigh Valley, Berks Workforce Development Board and East Penn Neighbors Helping Neighbors;

WHEREAS, her crisis management talents were evident throughout the pandemic and much of our success in stabilizing the university and reopening a residential experience can be attributed to her ability to adapt to the continually changing guidelines.  She and her staff were taxed to the limit in changing modalities of course offerings, adapting classrooms to account for social distancing, and maintaining dialogue with union and faculty leaders;

WHEREAS, she has had a long-career of demonstrated high character and always exhibited a caring attitude and love for the institution and its students;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Kutztown University Council of Trustees recognize Dr. Anne Zayaitz for her many years of dedicated service and her exemplary professionalism and commitment to Kutztown University.

RESOLVED, this 10th day of December in the year 2020.