NEWBERRY — Newberry College has promoted Dr. Sidney Parrish Jr. to serve as vice president for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Initiatives effective immediately.
In his new role, Parrish will be responsible for leading the development, implementation and assessment of Newberry’s strategic plan, working cross-departmentally to identify opportunities for expansion and growth that are aligned with the College’s mission.
He also will continue to lead efforts to collect and assess information from a variety of sources to support data-driven decision making. Although his role is primarily administrative, Parrish does plan to continue teaching a course most semesters.
“Sid comes to his new role as vice president with a proven track record for moving the institution from planning to action to mission accomplished,” said Newberry College president Dr. Maurice Scherrens. “His ability to motivate teams to action across campus will continue to be a tremendous asset to us.”
Parrish has 17 years of experience in higher education. He began his teaching career as assistant professor of Chemistry at Midland Lutheran College (2000-2005) in Fremont, Neb., moving to a position of the same rank at North Carolina Wesleyan College (2005-2006) in Rocky Mount, N.C.
Parrish joined Newberry College in 2006 as assistant professor of chemistry and was advanced in rank to associate professor in 2008. He played a pivotal role in the development of the College’s Forensic Chemistry program and attracted more than $650,000 in instrumentation, grants and donations for the start-up program.
In 2012, Parrish moved to the administrative arm of the institution to serve as associate director of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment and a member of the president’s senior leadership team. During that time, he successfully led the College’s 2012 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation effort.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on tackling new challenges, eliminating potential roadblocks and identifying new programs and partnerships that will help the College remain competitive and create the best outcomes for our students.”
Parrish earned both his Ph.D. and master of science degrees in Physical Chemistry from the University of Florida, and received his bachelor of science degree in Chemistry from Furman University.