By Mary Giunca
BOONE, N.C.—Dr. Marie Huff, has been named dean of the Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University. She was most recently dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Dr. Marie Huff is the new dean of the Beaver College of Health Sciences. Photo submitted.“Dr. Huff’s leadership will be critical to the college as we prepare to move to our new building next year,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Darrell P. Kruger. “The college has experienced explosive growth since its opening in 2010, and we look forward to Marie’s leadership in harnessing the opportunities that continue to come our way.”
Since opening in 2010, the college has doubled its enrollment and become the second largest at Appalachian.
“I am seeking a position where I can collaborate with a creative and passionate team of professionals who are dedicated to teaching and graduating students who will become ethical, competent and compassionate practitioners,” Huff wrote in her application.
At Bowling Green, Huff worked to create and implement three new academic programs and oversaw a $9.2 million renovation of the school’s health and human services building. She encouraged the development of interdisciplinary courses and initiatives and co-wrote a proposal to Medical Mutual of Ohio, which led to a $1 million gift in support of a new Institute on Optimal Aging.
Before coming to Bowling Green, Huff served at Western Carolina University as iterim and associate dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. There she oversaw the planning and construction of a new health and human sciences facility.
Huff holds a doctorate in social work from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Social Work from the University of Georgia. Before earning her doctorate, she spent 10 years as a clinical social worker where she worked in the mental health field with adolescents and their families.
She has published on such topics as student retention, service learning and the use of technology in learning.
About the Beaver College of Health Sciences
Appalachian’s College of Health Sciences opened in 2010 as the result of a strategic university commitment to significantly enhance the health and quality of life for individuals, families and communities in North Carolina and beyond. In 2015, the college was named for an Appalachian alumnus and pioneer in the healthcare industry – Donald C. Beaver ’62 ’64 of Conover. The college offers 10 undergraduate degree programs and six graduate degree programs, which are organized into six departments: Nursing, Social Work, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nutrition and Health Care Management, Health and Exercise Science, and Recreation Management and Physical Education.
About Appalachian
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
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