Northern Pennsylvania Regional College Founding President Announces Retirement

After nearly four years of leading the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College (NPRC), Founding President Joseph T. Nairn, D. Mgt, has announced his retirement.

“It has been an honor and the privilege of a lifetime to be associated with the great people of this region,” said Nairn. “I cannot adequately express to you how grateful I am to our students, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, and to the communities we serve. This is a great organization with committed and dedicated faculty and staff. As I begin my transition into retirement, I am thankful for the opportunity to guide NPRC from its early days as the Rural Regional College of Northern Pennsylvania to the great and special institution that it is today. For far too long, the opportunity for two-year degrees and workforce training was not available in this region. NPRC is a model for higher education in the future as we seek to address access and affordability for rural students.”

Nairn began with NPRC in 2017, appointed by the Board of Trustees as the Founding President to guide the college through the process of being authorized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to grant associate degrees and certificates, a milestone accomplished in 2019. The task of institutional accreditation is well underway, with the college’s application for candidacy in the hands of the regional accrediting body.

Nairn has been recognized for his leadership in the college by his alma mater, Thiel College, in Greenville, PA, by receiving the Distinguished Alumnus for professional achievement and Service to Thiel awards. He has served on the WPSU Board of Advisors, the Board of the Bethesda Foundation for Children, and the Board of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.

“It has been an absolute honor working with Dr. Nairn,” says Kate Brock, chairwoman, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College. His leadership has been instrumental in guiding the college, and he will be sorely missed by all of us here at NPRC.

“Dr. Nairn has agreed to stay on and assist in the transition to a new president once the search process is complete,” added Brock. The Board of Trustees anticipates beginning the search for the next president of the Northern Pennsylvania Regional College by the end of November.