WVSU Provost Named New President of Southwest Minnesota State University

3/21/2019

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INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- West Virginia State University (WVSU) Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Kumara Jayasuriya has been named the 10th president of Southwest Minnesota State University. The appointment will become effective July 1, 2019.

“I want to thank Dr. Jayasuriya for his leadership in Academic Affairs at West Virginia State University, and congratulate him on being named the 10^th president of Southwest Minnesota State University,” said WVSU President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins. “He has played a key role in helping elevate academic affairs at WVSU; thus, earning him a strong reputation within the higher education community throughout West Virginia.”

Jayasuriya has been at WVSU as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and a professor of mathematics since 2014.

Jayasuriya forged several international partnerships at WVSU including a partnership with Ningbo University of Technology in China. Additionally, he worked closely with college deans, faculty and staff to establish new academic bachelor’s-level and master’s-level programs in both the arts and the sciences, as well as online programs that are currently serving hundreds of students.

Prior to coming to WVSU, Jayasuriya served Purdue University-North Central Campus from 2011 to 2014 as associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and professor of mathematics. In this role, he collaborated with other universities to establish statewide articulation agreements, and he worked with deans and faculty to establish new programs including electrical engineering, civil engineering and history.

He also served Indiana University East from 1993 to 2011 in several capacities including as assistant professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, associate professor and division chair of the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics, and dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Jayasuriya holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colombo-Sri Lanka, a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University, and a doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.