Dr. George F. "Jody" Harpster attended the Washington Elementary School on Park Avenue and graduated from Tyrone Are High School in 1968.
While at TAHS, he participated in football, track, vocal music organizations, and a variety of other student clubs. Jody then attended and graduated from Juniata College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 1972 and from Shippensburg State College 1974 with a Master's of Science in Counseling and College Student Personnel Administration. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Adult and Higher Education in 1984 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Harpster's 33 years of professional work has been spent working at universities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. From 1972 to 1974, he served as a graduate hall director at Shippensburg, from 1974 to 1977 as a resident director and assistant to the Dean of Students at the University of North Carolina t Charlotte, and from 1977 to 1983 as an area coordinator, then as Associate Director of Housing, and finally as Director of Housing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, He then returned to UNC Charlotte from 1983 to 1995, employed first as Director of Student Life and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, then later as Dean of Students and Associate Vice Chancellor. In addition to his administrative duties at Charlotte, he was also an adjunct professor in the College of Education.
Dr. Harpster returned to Shippensburg University in 1995, where he served for 10 years as Vice President for Student Affairs. He assumed the position of Interim President at Shippensburg in June 2005.
Jody is active in and has held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations and has made numerous professional presentations on a wide variety of student related issues at meetings and conferences across the country. He has numerous publications to his credit and when time permits, serves as an organizational development consultant to business, industry, government, education, and religious organizations. Dr. Harpster also serves as liaison to the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. He has received a variety of professional awards and commendations including the American college Personnel Association's Outstanding State Division Leader Award and more recently the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award at Shippensburg University.
Dr. Harpster and his wife, Leslie, a native of North Carolina, live in Shippensburg along with a son, Drew and daughter Emily.
