Mitchell M. Zais, Ph.D.

Mitchell M. Zais, Ph.D. President

Dr. Mitchell (Mick) M. Zais has been president of Newberry College since August of 2000. He earned an Engineering Degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; a Master of Arts degree in military history from the School for Advanced Military Studies at Leavenworth, Kansas; and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in social psychology and organizational behavior from the University of Washington. He is also a graduate of the National Defense University, Washington, D.C., where he was a post-doctoral research fellow in national security affairs.

Dr. Zais has been appointed by Governor Mark Sanford to represent the state’s 20 private colleges and universities on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Newberry Opera House Foundation and the Southeastern Region of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Dr. Zais has written and published extensively in the fields of organizational behavior, curriculum design, stress, military history and doctrine, and leadership and management, in such professional journals as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Armed Forces Journal International, Military Review, Parameters, etc. His opinion-editorial pieces, written while President of Newberry College, have appeared in newspapers across the country.

Before becoming Newberry College's 20th president, Dr. Zais served his country for over 30 years as an officer in United States Army, attaining the rank of brigadier general. As an assistant professor at West Point, he taught management consulting, organizational behavior, and leadership. He has also served as an internal management consultant to the Army.

A paratrooper and Ranger, Dr. Zais served in a wide variety of infantry units, in Vietnam, the United States, and Korea. He commanded two rifle companies, an infantry battalion, a light infantry brigade, and served as deputy commanding general, Fort Riley, Kansas. His staff experience is primarily in military plans and operations, having worked as chief of operations, plans, and training for an infantry battalion and division; war plans officer for a corps; and Chief of War Plans for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dr. Zais was a White House aide and served in Panama as executive assistant to the four-star commander of all U.S. forces in Central and South America. In Kuwait, he was commanding general of U.S. and Allied forces. He also served as commanding general of Operation Provide Refuge, the task force that cared for the 4000 Kosovo refugees who entered the United States. Prior to coming to Newberry College, Zais was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, the headquarters that administers the 184,000 part-time Reservists, 9,000 civilian employees, and 11,000 full-time military members of the Army Reserve.

Dr. Zais's military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Ranger, Airborne, and Combat Infantryman's Badges, and the South Carolina Meritorious Service Medal.

His wife, the former Susan Fincher, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, is from Columbia. Newberry College's first graduate, James E. Houseal, class of 1869, is Susan's great-great-great uncle. Her great-great grandfather, William Houseal, founder and editor of the Newberry Observer, received an honorary degree from Newberry College in 1916. The Zaises have two children.  Bradley is an infantry soldier in Iraq. Ashley, the reigning Miss South Carolina USA, is a college senior.