DR. SUSAN J. MORRISON, who joined the faculty of the College of Charleston in 1979, received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Microbiology from Colorado State University and her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with a Microbiology emphasis from Florida State University. Her work experience includes two years as an Assistant Scientist at the University of Minnesota’s Hormel Institute and several years as a student assistant in the Colorado State University Activities Center. As well as teaching undergraduate courses in biology, Dr. Morrison is a member of the graduate faculty of the College of Charleston programs in Marine Biology and Environmental Studies and an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The majority of her research has focused on microbiology, sanitation, and environmental issues, and a significant component of this scholarship has involved collaborative research with undergraduate students.

Professor Morrison has served in the Office of Academic Affairs as an Associate Provost since January 2001.  Until 2006, she shared Associate Provost duties with Amy McCandless followed by more than one year as the only Associate Provost.  Since August 2007,  she has been “Associate Provost  for Operations and Administration.”   In her current capacity, she deals with a variety of issues excluding budget and faculty personnel matters.  This encompasses awards, student issues, facilities, undergraduate research and curriculum.  As Associate Provost, Dr. Morrison spearheaded the establishment of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities  Program.   She chaired the committee which developed New Student Convocation and has since been on the planning committee, and is chairing the Strategic Planning Subcommittee addressing academic issues for Dixie Plantation.   Working with others, she played a key role in the establishment of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the hiring of its first director.   Academic Affairs is represented on the Emergency Management Team by Dr. Morrison.  She also continues to teach the BIOL 310 General Microbiology lecture each semester.

Prior to becoming Associate Provost, Dr. Morrison served as Faculty and Senate Parliamentarian and as a Faculty Senator as well as on numerous departmental and College committees. From 1993 to 1999, she was the first director of the Minor in Environmental Studies. Because of her strong interest in the health professions, Professor Morrison served as an academic advisor for Pre-Allied Health students for over 20 years and was also a board member and secretary of the Southeastern Association of Advisors for the Health Professions. She is the former president and an executive committee member of the South Carolina Branch of the American Society for Microbiology. She is one of several faculty members who are instrumental in sustaining the College of Charleston Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. As a testimony to her commitment to student learning, she has been awarded the Outstanding Microbiologist Award from the South Carolina Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, and the College of Charleston’s Distinguished Service Award (1991) and Distinguished Advising Award (1998).