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Three new appointments have been made within Kentucky State University’s Division of Academic Affairs.

Dr. Kirk Pomper has been appointed interim director of Land Grant.

A longtime researcher at Kentucky State University, Pomper most recently served as an associate research director and professor in the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems.

His other duties include serving as a curator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Asimina spp., with KSU holding the largest pawpaw germplasm collection in the world. He has been a principal investigator of horticulture, mostly focusing on developing pawpaw as a new commercial crop. He also has conducted research on the primocane blackberry, gooseberry, currant, grape and peach.

Pomper has taught horticulture as an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky. He has authored and co-authored numerous successful proposals for USDA capacity-building grants and research grants from other agencies. His work can be found in many publications, abstracts, books, presentations, research reports and articles in refereed journals.

Pomper earned a Ph.D. at Oregon State University and an M.S. degree and B.S. with distinction at the University of Minnesota, all in horticulture.

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 Dr. Erin Wheeler fills the position of assistant vice president for academic support services.

Prior to KSU, Wheeler was a biology instructor at Southern University and A&M College, a biology instructor with Math and Science Upward Bound at Southeastern Louisiana University and an adjunct biology instructor at American InterContinental University Online. She was a mentor with the STEM Sister Minority Mentoring Program in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, La. She also served as a STEM learning strategy consultant with the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University.

 Wheeler earned her Ph.D. in science and mathematics education at Southern University and A&M College. She also received the M.S. degree in biology from Southern and B.S. in biology from Southeastern Louisiana University.

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 Gregory J. Goletz Jr. was selected as KSU’s registrar. He joins the university after serving as registrar and academic data analyst at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. In addition, he has a strong background in customer service and in privacy-rights legislation.

Goletz earned both a B.S. degree in secondary education and a B.A. degree in history at East Stroudsburg University.