Imterim provost Dr. Molly Lynch named provost of NOVA Manassas

Northern Virginia Community College President Scott Ralls has named Dr. Molly Lynch as provost for NOVA’s Manassas Campus.

Ralls was quoted as saying in a press release that the “search process attracted remarkable interest from across the country, produced several outstanding finalists and ultimately led to the selection of Dr. Lynch for this important leadership role. The strength of the process brought forward not only Molly’s gifts for the role but also the support and respect she has garnered on the campus and across our college. Molly has my support as well and I am excited that she has accepted this position.”

Lynch has been serving as interim provost since February 2016. During this time, she has worked with NOVA’s leadership to develop and implement policies aligned with the college’s mission while supervising all campus-based projects and operations. She has also met with local and state officials, business leaders, and K-12 administrators to learn how the Manassas Campus can support their efforts.

“I’m thankful to be in a position to continue the important work taking place at the Manassas Campus,” Lynch was quoted as saying. “Every day I learn something new from my colleagues and our students and that makes my job exciting. I’m looking forward to spending more time in the community to make sure our campus is providing the education and services needed in our region.”

Lynch joined NOVA in 2003 as a faculty member in the Psychology Program and quickly became involved in campus, college and statewide initiatives. She has served on a number of major NOVA committees, including the Policy Change Implementation Committee, the SACS Reaccreditation Steering Committee and Curriculum Committee. She chaired the Instructional and Student Services Committee and the collegewide Achieving the Dream team. She has also represented NOVA at several conferences where she gave presentations on a variety of student success topics.

In 2014, Lynch was selected as dean of the Manassas Campus Communications Technologies and Social Sciences Division, responsible for managing the division budget, reviewing curriculum and programs, supervising and evaluating full-time faculty, and coordinating the class schedule.

Previously, Lynch taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Palo Alto College, St. Philips College and the University of the Incarnate Word. Immediately prior to joining NOVA, Lynch was a research associate at Vanderbilt Institute of Public Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.

She holds a doctorate in social psychology from The Ohio State University and lives in Ashburn, with husband Jerry, daughter Allyson and son Kieran. 

As chief executive officer for the campus, the provost is responsible for all academic and student services, as well as campus management. The Manassas Campus serves more than 10,500 students in credit programs and 2,500 students in noncredit programs annually. The campus has two academic divisions that offer transfer and occupational/technical programs, a comprehensive student development outreach program, and strong workforce development programs.  Approximately 100 full-time faculty and administrators, 280 adjunct faculty, and 65 staff members work at the campus.