David L. Soltz - President

David L. Soltz, Ph.D., became Bloomsburg University's 18th president in January 2008.

Dr. Soltz served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Central Washington University before coming to Bloomsburg University. As chief academic officer of the regional comprehensive university located in Ellensburg, Wash., he was responsible for four colleges, the library, graduate studies, continuing education, international programs, research and grants, as well as student academic support services.

Active in a number of organizations related to higher education, he served as chair of the Inter-institutional Committee of Academic Officers for the state of Washington's six public baccalaureate institutions and as Central Washington University's representative to the State Higher Education Coordinating Board. For the past four years, he was the state representative on the executive committee of the Northwest Academic Forum.

Dr. Soltz also served on the executive committee of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Grant Resource Center and was an original member of the implementation committee for the American Democracy Project. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed him to the Committee on the Education of Students in High Demand Fields.

From 1996 to 2001, Dr. Soltz was dean of natural and social sciences at California State University at Los Angeles and, from 1988 to 1996, he chaired the department of biological sciences at California State University, Long Beach. He also was chair of the board of governors of the California Desert Studies Consortium from 1992 until 2001.

As provost or dean, he made official visits to 10 universities in China, often negotiating cooperative agreements for international education opportunities. He's taught courses ranging from freshman seminar and general biology for non-majors to graduate seminars on ecology and evolutionary biology.

Dr. Soltz earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctoral degree in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on environmental biology and the population biology of fishes living in stressful environments, such as high temperature and high salinity. He has written one book, a symposium volume and numerous journal articles and environmental reports.

Soltz is a Rotarian and, before moving to Bloomsburg, was a member of the board of the United Way of Kittitas County and the strategic planning and implementation committee of Kittitas Valley Community Hospital.

The president enjoys hiking and fly fishing in his leisure time and, with his wife Robbie, rides and raises quarterhorses. The Soltzes have three young adult children and two granddaughters.