Deanna Shields Named COLA Dean

Fairmont State University has named Dr. Deanna Shields as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective July 1.

"Dr. Deanna Shields has served Fairmont State University in a number of capacities over the years, and I am confident that she will do an excellent job as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts," said Dr. Maria Rose, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. "Deanna works with faculty, staff and students to provide valuable learning opportunities. We are indeed fortunate to have a person such as Deanna as our new dean."

Shields currently serves as Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Chair of the Department of Social Science, which includes programs in Criminal Justice, History, National Security and Intelligence, Political Science and Philosophy.

"I look forward to working with the dedicated and talented faculty, staff and students in the College of Liberal Arts to continue to strengthen our programs, expand opportunities and create an environment in which everyone can flourish," Shields said.

Shields joined the FSU faculty in 1982. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from Marshall University and her Ph.D. in criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she served as a teaching associate and was the recipient of the IUP Foundation Fellowship. She is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and the West Virginia Criminal Justice Educators' Association, having previously served a two-year term as president.

At FSU, Shields teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in criminology, research methods and victimology, and she coordinates the internship program for criminal justice, which includes the United States Marshals Service Centralized Student Career Experience Program.

Shields has been selected for Who's Who Among America's Teachers on several occasions and was presented with the William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence at Fairmont State in 2000. She has served for many years as a National Advisor and member of the Executive Board of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. She was selected as the Alpha Phi Sigma Advisor of the Year in 2003. She and her students have traveled all over the country and have won many state and national awards, including national officer positions, state and national research paper competitions, scholarships and national chapter awards for educational leadership, community service and unity.

She is married to Charles Shields, a professor of criminal justice at FSU, and they are the parents of three children, Garrett, Kathryn and Andrew.