Biography of Paul R. Young

Biography of Paul R. Young

Dr. Paul Young currently serves as the Executive Dean of Gillette College and Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness at the Northern Wyoming Community College District, positions he has held since February 2005.

He is a native of Limestone Maine, a small farming community on Maine’s northern border with Canada. Attending college at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, he was awarded a BA (History & Philosophy) in 1983, MA (Philosophy) in 1986 and the Ph.D. (Philosophy) in 1991. He distinguished himself as a scholar and was awarded the University’s History Prize at his graduation in 1983 and later received a Fulbright Scholarship to complete his doctoral research in Germany. While on the Fulbright in Germany in 1989-90 he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of Eastern Europe.

In 1986 he accepted a commission as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve and served in multiple leadership roles over a 20 year career. He retired as a Commander in 2006.

Before coming to NWCCD in 2005, Dr. Young served as head of the Office of Information Technology at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston Massachusetts where he was a contract employee from November 2001 to February 2005. Prior to that he was Dean of the School of Business and Associate Professor at Husson College in Bangor Maine where he worked from May 1997 to November 2000. From July 1990 to May 1997 he worked at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish Maine where he was a full-time Assistant Professor of Philosophy becoming Chair of the Philosophy Department in 1993 and Assistant Dean of the College in 1994.

Since coming to NWCCD, Dr. Young has been responsible for guiding the campus in Gillette during a period of rapid growth and change. Under his leadership, Gillette College has leveraged over $60M in public and private investment to build a new 90 acre campus, created a state-of-the-art workforce development program, grown a multi-million dollar endowment, advanced programs in art and culture for the broader community, established an outreach program in the town of Wright, and launched collegiate athletic programs. He also is responsible for leading all aspects of strategic planning for the college district in Sheridan, Buffalo and Gillette, and managing the institution’s accreditation relationship with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Dr. Young serves on the boards of the American Technical Education Association (ATEA) and of the Alliance of Rural Colleges (ARC). He has been very active in the Gillette Community, serving on the Board of Campbell County Economic Development Corp (CCEDC) since 2008. He has been Treasurer of CCEDC since 2009. He is also a member of the Gillette Energy Rotary Club, serving on its board from 2007 to 2009.