Catherine R. Gira
Catherine R. Gira | |
|---|---|
| Born | Catherine Russell October 30, 1932 |
| Died | March 26, 2019 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | Educator and university administrator |
Catherine Russell Gira (October 30, 1932 – March 26, 2019) was an American educator and administrator who was president of Frostburg State University from 1991 to 2006.
Biography[edit]
Gira was born in Fayette City, Pennsylvania on October 30, 1932.[1] She received a bachelor's degree from California University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from American University.[2]
Gira married Joseph Gira in 1954, and they raised two children, Cheryl and Tom, in Columbia, Maryland.[1]
Gira began her teaching career as a high school English teacher, worked as a writing instructor at Johns Hopkins University, and then joined the faculty at the University of Baltimore.[1] Her academic specialty was the study of the works of William Shakespeare.[3] She became Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, president of the Faculty Senate, and then Provost of the University.[1] She was responsible for budgeting and planning for the growth of the university in the 1980s and served as president of the American Association of University Administrators.[4]
Gira was named president of Frostburg State University in 1991.[3] During her tenure, the university achieved accreditation for its Colleges of Business and Education, and she oversaw the construction of a performing arts center and new science buildings.[2] When she retired in 2006, she established the Catherine R. Gira Campus to Community Fund.[2] The Center for Communications and Information Technology was named in her honor upon its completion in 2015.[3]
In 1992, Gira was named Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Women Legislators of Maryland, and she was named among Maryland’s Top 100 Women by Warfields’ Business Record in 1996.[5] She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1997.[5]
Gira died in Columbia, Maryland on March 26, 2019.[2]
Publications[edit]
- Gira, Catherine Russell (1975). Shakespeare's Venus Figures and Renaissance Tradition. American University.
- Catherine Gira; Adele F. Seeff (1994). Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 : an annotated bibliography. Garland. ISBN 0824070976.
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Catherine Russell Gira". Cumberland Times-News. March 29, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Larry, Greg (March 29, 2019). "Former Frostburg State University President Gira dies". Cumberland Times-News.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Catherine R. Gira, President Emerita of Frostburg State University, Dies at Age 86". Frostburg State University. March 28, 2019.
- ^ "Frostburg's New President". Baltimore Sun. August 29, 1991.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Catherine R. Gira, Ph.D." Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. Maryland State Archives. 2001. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
