Meet Dr. Gail E. Gasparich

Dr. Gasparich earned her B.S. in Biology from The College of William and Mary in 1984 and completed her Ph.D. in Microbiology at The Pennsylvania State University in 1989.

Administrative Experience: Prior to joining Millersville University as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2021, Dr. Gasparich served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Salem State University from 2016-2021, overseeing a $35M budget and 20 departments with 195 full-time faculty, 60 part-time faculty, and over 3,000 students. Prior to this, she was the Acting Assistant Provost at Towson University from 2015 to 2016 and the Associate Dean of the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at Towson University from 2010 to 2016. She also directed various programs at Towson University, including the Women in Science Program (2002-2016), the Biology Graduate Program (2002-2012), and the Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics Program (2002-2004). Additionally, she directed the NIH Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program (2000-2016).

Academic Positions: Dr. Gasparich was a Professor in the Biology Department at Towson University from 2006 to 2016, an Associate Professor from 2001 to 2006, and an Assistant Professor from 1996 to 2001. She also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Northern Virginia Community College in 1995.

Honors & Awards: Her accolades include being inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in 2017 and being named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Science in 2016. She received the Inspiring Women in STEM Award from INSIGHT into Diversity in 2015 and the Towson University President’s Diversity Award in 2013. Her other awards include the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006, Towson University Million Dollar Club in 2005, and the Outstanding Honors College Faculty Award in 2005.

Additional Administrative Highlights: Her role as Dean involved setting student success goals, recruiting and supporting diverse faculty, enhancing diversity and inclusion, and engaging with community partners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led initiatives to transition to online learning and support faculty through professional development. Her responsibilities also included tenure-track faculty evaluations, program reviews, and oversight of NECHE accreditation self-studies. As Acting Assistant Provost at Towson University, she managed faculty reviews, academic advising, and diversity initiatives. In her tenure as Associate Dean at Towson University, she supported professional development, diversity actions, and student advisement programs.

Grants: Since 1997, she has secured over $15M in funding across 30 grants. Recent grants include NSF S-STEM, NIH Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program, and a recent NSF LSAMP grant at Millersville University.

Publications: Her research focuses on the taxonomic and phylogenetic characterization of Spiroplasma microorganisms. She has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters.

Community Engagement: She has fostered partnerships with local schools and community organizations to enhance student recruitment, internships, and scholarly collaborations. Her efforts included leading a STEM Academy for middle school girls and being PI on the 100 Males to College program.