For the chief academic officer and provost at West Virginia University and the former interim president of WVU Potomac State College, the word “retirement” doesn’t exist.
Dr. Paul Kreider has plans for what life looks like after stepping down from his stellar collegiate career. Those plans include a trip to Italy to visit his brother, a year-long sabbatical while he explores and travels, the possibility of adjunct teaching and advising, and operatic singing engagements.
Potomac State College hosted a reception for Dr. Kreider recently, in which his peers, former employees, and past colleagues paid tribute to his brief time in Keyser, crediting him for allowing a seamless transition in administration at a crucial time for the campus. He was equally appreciative of his time leading the College.
“I can look back on all the things I have done, and this was my most favorite part of that,” he said. “Maybe I laid a little groundwork at Potomac State College, but the guys here are the ones who came through. These guys work hard every day to make this place what it is, and it’s a very, very special place. There’s a reason most of the kids from Mineral County, when they go to college, they come here. It’s not just because it’s close by, it’s because it’s a great place.”
“I’ve been an administrator in higher ed since 1995. I had to forego sabbaticals that entire time. Now I get one,” he said. “It’s actually not a sabbatical. It’s an administrative leave. I get some salary, I get some benefits, and I get a year off. And I get to decide what I want to do. People in this profession do it because we love it. We do it because we want to make a difference, and we do it because we love the people. You know, 1995 was a long time ago. I’ve been at four institutions. If you count Potomac State, that’s five.”
In October 2024, Kreider became interim provost at West Virginia University and is the chief academic officer responsible for the administration of all academic policies, programs, facilities, and budgetary matters. Prior to this interim post, Kreider was named associate provost for undergraduate education in 2017 and then vice provost in 2019, when he began managing the strategic direction of education throughout the WVU System.
In March 2024, Kreider also stepped up to serve as interim campus president of WVU Potomac State College, balancing his time between the Morgantown and Keyser campuses. He remained in that role for nearly a year until the current president of PSC, Dr. Jerry Wallace, was selected.
“During my interview process, Dr. Kreider was very upfront about the challenges, and he always spoke very highly about the potential and the people at PSC,” Dr. Wallace said. “I, for one, appreciated him being transparent and honest about the state of the College and the culture I was inheriting.”
Wallace said it was because of Kreider’s influence and involvement that PSC was able to increase its athletic presence and secure funding for renovations at both Science Hall and the Church-McKee Arts Center.
“I have since seen him continue to advocate for PSC for more sports teams, the metro tuition rate, and for additional resources for our campus,” he said. “His ability to articulate our value to the entire WVU system has really meant a lot. Without his time leading PSC, I do not believe we would have the momentum we have today.”
“It’s hard to put into words his impact not only on WVU but especially here at Potomac State College,” said Dr. Megan Webb, PSC Director of Development. “In his short tenure of just about a year as interim president, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Kreider. It’s amazing to think of the needs and services and steadfast leadership that helped to transform and give this College what it needed at the right time. He is a special character at WVU and at Potomac State College. I hope he takes humbly with him the impact he has made on so many and that he has touched this College and this community and cultivated a culture that continues to lead us in a positive direction.”
“From the nursing department we can’t thank him enough,” said Dr. April Shapiro, director of nursing at PSC, who is retiring May 16. “From just the short time he was here, we were blessed to have him as an interim president. He was such an advocate for our campus. I really think he exemplified the ‘One WVU’ spirit and helped bridge the gap between Keyser and Morgantown. I appreciate how he listened to us and addressed our needs.”
“Thank you doesn’t seem to be big enough when it comes to what Paul Kreider did for Potomac State,” said Associate Dean Vicki Huffman. “The hope he brought and the listening ear he brought came at a time that was desperately needed. He has advocated for us and continues to advocate for us and bring awareness to Potomac State."
“The difference he made from day one helped shape the campus and the individuals who work here. He has made a huge difference in the lives of the people who work here and even in the Keyser community,” said Program Coordinator Brian Bollinger, who said he felt supported by Kreider in every aspect of his life.
“It’s been a very important relationship for me personally,” he said. “He took the time to make a commitment to me that meant the world. There’s a difference when individuals in character can shape others’ lives with the choices that they make. And then they have to weigh that with the business you are in. He made a choice that made my life incredibly better, and I will never be able to thank him enough.”
“I just want to offer him my sincere thanks for his unwavering support of Potomac State,” said Dean Phil Douthitt. Douthitt indicated he first became acquainted with Kreider about a decade ago during Associate Deans’ meetings held on the main campus of WVU in Morgantown. “He took time at those meetings to acknowledge my presence and to thank me for coming, and I have felt his support for me and for Potomac State ever since that time. I want to thank him for stepping in at a time when we needed a president and for the guidance and direction he provided for us. He is thoughtful, thorough, and deeply humanistic.”
Krista Campbell works at Potomac State College as the president’s administrative assistant. Before her current role working for Dr. Wallace, she served under Dr. Kreider.
“It was a privilege to work with him,” she said. “We are all so appreciative of everything he did for us during his time here. He saw Potomac State College for its unique ways, and he understood what we needed and the things we needed changed, and he was an advocate for us.”
Campbell said she felt “intimidated and nervous” when Kreider was hired as the interim president of WVU Potomac State College.
“But he immediately put everyone at ease,” she said. “One of the things I will always remember was when I would ask him every day if he needed anything, he would say ‘a million bucks.’ If I had that million dollars, I would certainly give it to him because no one deserves it more.”
Kreider became visibly moved by the tributes – some captured in a 10-minute video which was presented at the event – stopping during an address to those in attendance to admittedly catch his breath and collect his thoughts, he later said.
Kreider said before he set foot on campus for his first day, he became acutely aware that a reputation for being direct might have preceded him.
“Maybe I am honest, maybe I say things and cut to the chase. People have called me a man of action, but sometimes, as a man of action, you say things that people might not want to hear. But I have never done anything in a way to be intentionally mean to people,” he said. “I have always just been a man who believes in moving things forward and making things better for people. I have just always wanted to make a difference. That’s all any of us want to do. That’s all it is. And I hope that I did that during my time at Potomac State and even in Morgantown.”
Kreider said he will continue – even during his time away from academia – to keep an eye on Potomac State College and to follow the news from this campus closely.
“There continues to be so much potential at Potomac State, and we need to continue to think about how we can make a positive impact here,” he said. “Everything you all do here is very much appreciated. Potomac State College is important not just for this community but for the entire state. We need to make sure it continues to be that, and I know all the hard work that the staff here puts in will continue to make that happen. I feel great about where the College is, and I feel great about what Jerry (Wallace) is doing, and I feel great about what all of you are doing.”
Kreider joined West Virginia University as dean of the former WVU College of Creative Arts in July 2011. While there, he enriched the college’s curriculum by adding several academic programs, including Musical Theatre, Music Industry, Music Therapy, and Dance. He also significantly enhanced the college’s facilities.
Working with faculty and staff in the School of Art and Design, Kreider opened the Art Museum of WVU and the Nath Sculpture Garden and oversaw the conceptual design of the ongoing expansion of college’s main facility, the Creative Arts Center. Additionally, he created a vibrant arts outreach program in the college and revitalized recruitment, resulting in a dramatic increase in enrollment.
Prior to coming to WVU, Kreider served as dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University; chair of the Department of Music at Northern Kentucky University; associate dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; chair and assistant chair, coordinator of Vocal Studies and director of Opera Theater at the School of Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
His work as an administrator follows a remarkably successful career as a recording artist and performer. Kreider’s performing credits include numerous roles with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for six seasons and as principal baritone with the Landestheater Salzburg for three years. He has appeared on opera stages throughout the world with world-renowned singers, conductors, and stage directors, including Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, Jean Pierre Ponnelle, Placido Domingo, and Kiri Te Kanawa. These opera stages include the Vienna State Opera, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Rome, Santa Fe, Atlanta Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, National Opera of Slovenia, and Tokyo, Japan. Symphonic credits include the Great Woods Festival, under Michael Tilson Thomas, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Austria's Mozarteum Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, the New Mexico Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Illinois Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, and multiple appearances with the West Virginia Symphony.
Kreider's recordings include a Deutsche Grammophon recording conducted by Leonard Bernstein and three song cycles by Daron Hagen released by Arsis Audio entitled “Love in A Life.” He also recorded another for Arsis as a guest with the Baylor University Wind Ensemble of Hagen’s “Heart of the Stranger.” CRI Records released Hagen’s “Vera of Las Vegas” in 2002, with Kreider in the role of Dumdum. His most recent recording is an American art song entitled “Four Composers and One Voice,” featuring Kreider accompanied by composers Ned Rorem, David Del Tredici, Daron Hagen, and Virko Baley on a song cycle from each composer, also on the Arsis label.
And after he takes his year of leave, while he travels and performs and possibly records again? What then?
“I may come back half-time. I think what I might do is teach a class, maybe advise some students, and fundraise. I want to continue to do whatever I can do to be helpful,” he said.