Marcia G. Welsh, ESU's first woman president, to retire
East Stroudsburg. Welsh will retire on July 31 after eight years of service. She looks forward to spending more time with family and traveling with her husband, Lou Terracio.
| 21 Jan 2020 | 06:49
Marcia Welsh (
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After eight years at the helm, East Stroudsburg University (ESU) President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., announced her retirement on Jan. 17.
"I have sincerely enjoyed being a part of the Warrior family and know that, in my heart, I will always be a Warrior,” she said in a statement to university colleagues and friends.
President Welsh was appointed the 13th president of ESU in April 2012 by the Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and became the first female president of the institution in July 2012. Her retirement is effective July 31, 2020.
Dr. Welsh currently serves the local and regional communities in multiple capacities including the Northampton Community College Monroe Campus Advisory Board, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities, Women’s Resources of Monroe County Board, and the Pocono Mountains Musical Festival Board. As president of ESU, Dr. Welsh is also a member of the Chincoteague Bay Field Station board of directors, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce, WVIA Board of Directors, and TecBridge.
She earned both her undergraduate degree in physical sciences and master’s degree in anatomy from Colorado State University, and her doctoral degree in anatomy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
In 2014, she was selected as one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal and one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in the Greater Lehigh Valley, with special recognition in the Community Achievement Award category by Lehigh Valley Business. Welsh was also recognized with the Athena Award by the Greater Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce for her business and professional accomplishments, community service and mentoring of others, especially encouraging women to achieve their own leadership potential. In 2019, she was also named one of the Top 10 Influential Executives on Social Media by Campus Sonar, and was the only woman to make this list.
Welsh is married to Louis Terracio, Ph.D., vice dean of academic affairs and research and professor at NYU’s College of Dentistry. They have three children: Nate, Matthew, and Mallory, and three grandchildren, Giovanni, Harper and Logan.
“I look forward to more time with my family and having the opportunity to travel with my husband, Lou,” said Welsh in her message to campus. “I will not miss the endless meetings and the frequent trips to Harrisburg, but I will miss you, my colleagues and friends, and the countless opportunities I’ve had to interact with our students and to watch them shine.”
Marcia Welch's achievements at ESU:
Addition of 3-D printing and additive manufacturing to the curriculum
Institution of women’s wrestling and acrobatics and tumbling
Supported the incorporation of esports in the university’s academic research
Addition of two doctoral degrees, in educational leadership and administration and health sciences
Opening the Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem
Establishing collaborative degree programs with The Commonwealth Medical College and Marywood University, both in Scranton, and the College of Sport and Health Science at Ritsumeikan University in Shiga, Japan
The launch of LYME-AID, the first commercial licensing agreement of faculty/student research in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education
Opening a Student Veterans Center
Initiating ESU’s annual Economic Outlook Summit
Launch of the website Made in the Poconos in cooperation with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Pennsylvania CareerLink, and the Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation to encourage residents and visitors to shop locally
Assisting Pocono Medical Center in facilitating focus groups and the creation of an online platform to match residents with health professionals, social service agencies, workshops, and other events geared toward health concerns.
Supported a partnership with Pocono Medical Center to train student volunteers to act as health coaches for patients
ESU’s hosting of the International European Union Simulation, which brought students from nearly 20 universities in Europe and the U.S. to ESU for political role-playing
ESU’s participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program to help veterans with tuition.
“I will not miss the endless meetings and the frequent trips to Harrisburg, but I will miss you, my colleagues and friends, and the countless opportunities I’ve had to interact with our students and to watch them shine.” --Marcia G. Welsh