Daniel Asua Wubah

Daniel A. Wubah
President of Millersville University
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2018
Personal details
BornAccra, Ghana
NationalityGhanaian-American
SpouseJudith A. Wubah
Residence(s)Millersville, PA, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Cape Coast (B.S.(Hons) Dip.Ed.),
University of Akron(M.S.),
University of Georgia (Ph.D.)
OccupationProfessor & University President

Daniel Asua Wubah is a Ghanaian-born American president of Millersville University of Pennsylvania.[1] Prior to that he was the Provost at Washington and Lee University.[2] In his private life, Wubah is a tribal king, Nana Ofosu Peko III, Safohene[3] of Breman Traditional Area in Ghana.[4] He is the first Ghanaian-born president of an American university.

Early life

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Daniel Wubah was born in Accra, Ghana. Both of his parents were Akan royals; his father, Daniel A. Wubah II, was from the Twidan Royal family of Breman Asikuma, Central Region and his mother, Elizabeth Appoe, was from the royal family of Krokorshwe, Central Region. He grew up in Accra with 2 brothers and a sister.[5]

Wubah attended Accra Academy from 1972 to 1979 for his GCE Ordinary and Advanced Levels education. He earned a bachelor's degree in Botany and a diploma in science education from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, Master of Science in biology from the University of Akron, and Ph.D. in Botany and Microbiology from the University of Georgia. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the US Environmental Protection Agency Research Lab, in Athens, GA.

Career

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Wubah started his academic career as a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University in Maryland and served as the department head from 1997 to 2000. He was Associate Dean in the College of Science and Mathematics at James Madison University (JMU) for three years before being appointed the Special Assistant to the President.[6] Among his accomplishments was the establishment of the Centennial Scholars Program[7] and other programs[6] to diversify the student faculty and staff at JMU. In 2007, he became the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at the University of Florida.[8] In 2019, he moved to Virginia Tech as the Vice President and Dean for Undergraduate Education in 2009.[9] He was promoted to the Deputy Provost in 2010 and in 2013, he was appointed the Provost at Washington and Lee University.[10] He served on the task force that developed a Strategic Transition Plan for the W&L Law School to ensure financial sustainability.[11]

As a microbiologist, he studied the characterization of obligately anaerobic zoosporic fungi, bench scale bioremediation of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, and characterization of microflora in the digestive tract of neotropical wood-eating catfish Panaque. His research has been supported with grants from The National Science Foundation,[12] National Institutes of Health and US Department of Agriculture. He was a member of a National Academy of Sciences panel that studied the scientific basis for estimating air emission from animal feeding operations. He has supervised or co-supervised research projects and served on thesis/dissertation committees for ninety-six undergraduate and ten graduate students.[13]

He led the development of the College of Business at Millersville University (MU) during his first year as president. Recently, Millersville University signed an MOU with his alma mater, University of Cape Coast, to enhance student and faculty exchange.[14] Under his leadership, MU has established articulation agreements with Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Harrisburg Area Community College.

He was an Associate Editor for Mycologia, and a member of the editorial board of Frontiers: the interdisciplinary journal on study abroad. He has an extensive service-related activity including membership on the Advisory Committees for the NSF Directorate of Biology, Office of International Science and Engineering as well as Environmental Research and Education. He served as a member and chaired the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities Study Session (2005-2014). He was a trustee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) for two three year-terms.

At Virginia Tech, Wubah developed a unique undergraduate research program called Scieneering that was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute[15] He has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses including general microbiology, medical microbiology, microbial ecology and mycology. His scholarly work has resulted in more than 60 peer-reviewed journal publications, book chapters and technical reports. At Washington and Lee University, he was involved in handling demands made by law students to move Confederate flags from the Lee Chapel.[16]

Honors

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Wubah was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Strategic Leadership (DSL) by the University of Cape Coast in August 2023.[17]

Wubah is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[18]

He presented a testimony to the Research Subcommittee of the US Congress House of Representatives.[19]

Societies

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Other awards/recognitions

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References

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  1. ^ "Dr. Daniel A. Wubah Named President of Millersville – Millersville News". Blogs.millersville.edu. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Daniel Wubah Named Washington and Lee University's Provost". Columns.wlu.edu. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Professor of Biology installed Asafohene of Breman Traditional Area".
  4. ^ Paviour, Ben (9 May 2018). "In Lexington, VA He's A Professor; In Ghana, He's A King". Community Idea Stations. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Professor of Biology installed Safohene of Breman Asikuma".
  6. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2019-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Centennial Scholars Program". Jmu.edu. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  8. ^ "03 - Academic leader at James Madison named associate provost at UF - News - University of Florida". News.ufl.edu. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Daniel A. Wubah named vice president and dean for undergraduate education". Vtnews.vt.edu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Daniel Wubah Named Washington and Lee University's Provost". 2013-03-11.
  11. ^ "A Message to the Law School Community". Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  12. ^ "NSF Award Search: Award#1061500 - REU Site: Studies in ecology, environmental and conservation biology in Ghana, West Africa". Nsf.gov. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  13. ^ Council, National Research; Studies, Division on Earth and Life; Toxicology, Board on Environmental Studies and; Resources, Board on Agriculture and Natural; Nutrition, Committee on Animal; Operations, Ad Hoc Committee on Air Emissions from Animal Feeding (2003-04-07). Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations: Current Knowledge, Future Needs. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-16864-9.
  14. ^ "He's a state university president and an African king". 2 August 2019.
  15. ^ Owczarski, Mark (19 July 2010). "University receives $1.4 million science education award from Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support innovate undergraduate science education". Vtechworks.lib.vt.edu. hdl:10919/63427. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Students at Washington & Lee call for end to Confederate symbols". Associated Press. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  17. ^ "ucc-awards-honorary-doctorate-degree-seven-distinguished-personalities".
  18. ^ Owsley, Eric (2 December 2014). "Provost Daniel A. Wubah Elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science". The Columns. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  19. ^ Hearing Summary: House Research Subcommitee Meeting the Demands of the Knowledge Based Economy: Strengthening Undergraduate Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education
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