Jack C. Watson II, Ph.D. joined the College of Health and Human Services in June 2023, with 16 years of administrative experience and an extensive background in leadership development. In May 2023, he completed a year-long fellowship with the American Council on Education at the University of Kentucky, a rigorous, comprehensive leadership program for higher education administrators. From 2019-22 he served as dean of West Virginia University’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. He previously served as associate dean, assistant dean and chair of the Department of Sport Sciences.
Dr. Watson has achieved numerous notable accomplishments in his various administrative roles. These include leading a college that engaged with 44 of the 55 counties in the state of West Virginia on community programming; implementing college structural and strategic changes that led to significantly increased revenue; co-leading a merger of two colleges over a 13-month span; increasing student success indicators; and creating several academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Dr. Watson holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a concentration in Sport Psychology and post-doctoral respecialization in Counseling and School Psychology from Florida State University. He received a Master of Science in Sport Behavior from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia. He has worked in higher education since 1998.