Mount News
Kraig Sheetz Named Executive Vice President KRAIG SHEETZ, PH.D., has been tapped to serve as executive vice president of Mount St. Mary’s University. Since becoming dean of the university’s School of Natural Science and Mathematics in 2018, Sheetz has overseen tremendous growth in the school with the introduction of neuroscience and data science undergraduate majors and an interdisciplinary Master of Science degree and post-master's certificate in applied behavior analysis. The school has also received major grants to broaden undergraduate research opportunities and provide transfer pathways for community college students in STEM programs. In addition, Sheetz has introduced a dean’s speaker series and encouraged student success, leading to four prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships in the past two years and numerous National Security scholars. As executive vice president, Sheetz will advance the strategic direction of the Mount while stewarding its resources in support of its mission and Catholic identity. This position will be responsible for leading major initiatives of the strategic plan and providing leadership
6
MOUNT NEWS SPRING 2021
and direction to the information technology, human resources, assessment and institutional research efforts. “Kraig has the strategic vision, leadership and collaborative skills to help the Mount move forward in this time of change in higher education and our society,” said President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. “I know that he will do an excellent job in helping to guide the Mount into the future.” Sheetz began his career in the military as a tactical intelligence officer but then transitioned to higher education and ultimately held leadership positions at the United States Military Academy, including vice dean of operations at West Point and senior advisor to the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. He taught in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering at West Point and continues to teach physics at the Mount. He has research interests in ultra-short pulse laser design and development of femtosecond laser-based nonlinear microscopy systems. He is a coauthor of "A Pragmatic Guide to Multiphoton Microscope Design" and has been published in the Journal of Applied Physics. Sheetz holds a Bachelor of Science in geophysics from Millersville University, a Master of Science in geophysics from New Mexico Tech, a Master of Science in applied physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and a doctorate in applied physics from the Colorado School of Mines. Department of Science Chair and Professor of Biochemistry Christine Seitz McCauslin, Ph.D., is serving as interim dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics.
