R. Lorraine "Laurie" Bernotsky was unanimously named the 16th president of West Chester University by the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), effective July 1, 2024. A longstanding champion for public education and PASSHE students, Bernotsky is a first-generation college graduate who is currently serving as interim president of Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) as a loaned executive from West Chester University. She will succeed Christopher M. Fiorentino, who will retire from West Chester University as president on June 30, 2024.

Bernotsky has been selected to lead the largest R2 institution within PASSHE. An R2 institution - which stands for "Doctoral Universities - High Research Activity" - is a classification by Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education indicating that a university has "high research activity" in academic settings where teaching is the priority. At an R2 university, most courses are taught by professors who are involved in research activities and often include students in their research work.

With nearly three decades of experience in higher education, Bernotsky began her career at West Chester University in 1996 as a member of the political science faculty. When the opportunity opened to serve as associate provost and dean of graduate studies at the university, she competed in a national search for the role and served for several years before becoming provost in 2015. As provost, Bernotsky led the university's Academic Affairs Division, which oversees approximately 850 faculty and comprises five colleges that offer more than 100 academic degree programs while also housing the Office of Institutional Research, the Center for International Programs (now the Center for Global Engagement); the offices of undergraduate admissions, enrollment management, and financial aid; the graduate school; and undergraduate student support services. Executive vice president was added to Bernotsky's role in 2017, and as the university's second-in-command, she also assumed leadership of the university's budget and labor relations function.

A social scientist, Bernotsky earned master's and doctorate degrees in politics from the University of Oxford. She also earned a master's degree in sociology from Temple University.

Bernotsky was asked by chancellor Daniel Greenstein to serve PennWest temporarily in the fall of 2022 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, providing guidance and direction in all operational areas. From October 2022 through June 2023, Bernotsky worked collaboratively in this loaned capacity to help strengthen PennWest's operations, strategic enrollment management systems, and long-term plans for financial sustainability. Bernotsky was then appointed as interim president of PennWest on July 1, 2023, by PASSHE's Board of Governors; she assumed the role four months after her appointment as PennWest's acting president and following the retirement of PennWest founding president, Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson.

West Chester University's Council of Trustees requested and secured approval from Greenstein, in consultation with the executive committee of the Board of Governors, to authorize the presidential search committee to explore the candidacy of Bernotsky before deciding whether to proceed to an open national search. The executive committee of the Board of Governors concurred with the recommendation and approved the request.

Following its charge, the presidential search committee led a comprehensive and inclusive university-wide process that elicited the feedback of West Chester University students, faculty members, staff members, and alumni. Numerous opportunities to interact with Bernotsky were provided through interviews, open forums, and presentations. As a result of the positive feedback the search committee received, it unanimously made a formal recommendation to the Council of Trustees on Bernotsky's candidacy. At the regularly scheduled Council of Trustees meeting on Nov. 15, 2023, the council voted unanimously to recommend that Bernotsky be considered by PASSHE's Board of Governors to be the 16th president of West Chester University.