Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Francis Achampong Announces Retirement

MONT ALTO, Pa. — After 43 years in higher education, 22 of which were at Penn State, Francis Kofi Achampong, chancellor of Penn State Mont Alto, has announced his retirement, effective June 28. He serves as director of academic affairs at Penn State Mont Alto. (2002-2010), interim chancellor then chancellor at Penn State Fayette (2010-2013) and, finally, returning to Penn State Mont Alto as chancellor (2013-present), the cornerstones of Achampong’s tenure have been building community among faculty, staff and students; implement new programs to support students and promote their success; and providing leadership to guide campuses toward the future of learning and career preparation.

“Penn State Mont Alto has experienced transformational change under the leadership of Francis Achampong,” said Margo DelliCarpini, vice president of Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. “Francis’ unwavering commitment to enhancing the student experience, practicing the values ​​of sustainability, and engaging in the broader community has set the college apart. He has worked diligently to create a vibrant campus community where students can thrive in a caring, inclusive, and discovery-rich learning environment.

Known to all as “Dr. A”, Achampong has dedicated his career to student success, resulting in countless signature initiatives, including: launching a faculty mentoring program leading to permanence; see the new professors he hired be tenured and promoted, including five international professors; enrich diversity on campus; collaborate with the Mont Alto Faculty Senate to develop guidelines for hiring and evaluating part-time faculty that became a model for Commonwealth College, the predecessor to University College; creating the Jumpstart Program, designed to help newly admitted and underprepared students get a head start through summer online instruction and year-round academic support and mentoring; working with all stakeholders on the Penn State Fayette campus to create a sense of community during a difficult transition period following the death of their chancellor; partnering with the Director of Campus Development to help raise more than $4 million through the “For the Future” campaign, which is 118% above the campaign goal; partnered with Penn State Mont Alto Director of Campus Development to raise $7.3 million through the “Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence” campaign, or 142 percent of its fundraising goal $5.2 million; collaborate with the Penn State Mont Alto campus community to be the first campus to dedicate a stand-alone space for student veterans; and elevate the role of athletic director within the chancellor’s office, given the role athletics play in student recruitment and retention. Achampong also demonstrated leadership in designating allied health care (the health sciences) as Penn State Mont Alto’s niche, offering two-year occupational therapy assistant and physical therapy assistant programs, the baccalaureate program of Science in Nursing and plans to add a bachelor’s degree in Biobehavioral. health. He led a $13 million state-of-the-art paramedic building that opened in 2022, growing the campus’ healthcare degree portfolio to now include a Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration and a Bachelor of Science science in Occupational Sciences, with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is expected to begin in fall 2026.

In addition to his work on the Mont Alto and Fayette campuses, Achampong has served at the University on several committees, including the Budget Planning Task Force, Campus Academic Review Coordinating Committee (CARCC , a subgroup of the Central Council), the Midstate Accreditation Committee, faculty. Committee on Rights and Responsibilities, Joint Standing Committee on Tenure, Committee on University Access, Committee on Naming of Facilities and Academic Units, Commission on Adult Learners (CAL), and Committee on Facilities Resources. He has chaired the Academic Leadership Council (ALC), the Council of Commonwealth Chancellors (CCC) and the CAL. He has also served the community on the Southcentral Workforce Investment Board, Waynesboro Hospital Board of Trustees, Montessori Academy Board of Trustees, Summit Health Finance Committee, and has served as volunteered as an adult Sunday school teacher in Chambersburg and Waynesboro churches.

“Having had the opportunity to work with Dr. A. throughout his tenure at Penn State Mont Alto, I can categorically attest to his leadership and remarkable impact on the campus and surrounding communities,” said Mike Ross, president from the Franklin County area. Development Corporation and a longtime member of the Penn State Mont Alto Advisory Board and Campus Strategic Planning Committee. “He has led efforts ranging from creating new course offerings that more effectively align with local workforce development needs, to advancing entrepreneurship through LaunchBox, to construction of the new $13 million state-of-the-art Allied Health Building. Additionally, Mont Alto has consistently exceeded its college campaign goals. But more importantly, Dr. A. has always been student-focused and committed to ensuring that every PSUMA graduate has every opportunity to maximize their individual academic experience. We will miss him.”

Achampong strongly believes in the power of education to improve lives and remove barriers. Having contracted polio at a young age while growing up in Ghana, he believes his own life is a testament to the power of education. He obtained his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) with Second Class Honors (Upper Division) from the University of Ghana (the equivalent of magna cum laude), his LL.M. (Master of Laws) and Ph.D. from King’s College and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, respectively, as well as a second LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received a certificate in educational management and leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a member of the American Council on Education (ACE). He is a member of the New York and Virginia bars and duly admitted and qualified as an attorney of the Supreme Court of the United States.

“I am grateful and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented people and to have made a positive impact on the lives of the students we serve,” Achampong said. “I wish Penn State Mont Alto and Penn State the best.”

Click here to learn more about Achampong’s tenure at Penn State.