Daniel J. Ennis began serving as President of Delta State University on June 1, 2023.
Ennis was born in Boston Massachusetts, His family moved to South Carolina, where he graduated from Summerville High School in 1988. He holds a B.A. from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, an M.A. from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, an M.A. from the University of Portsmouth in Portsmouth, UK, and a Ph.D. from Auburn University in Auburn, AL.
In 1999, Ennis was appointed Assistant Professor of English at Coastal Carolina University on Conway, SC. During his 24-year career at that institution, he served as a Department Chair, Dean, and Vice President. His final appointment at Coastal was as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, overseeing the operations of seven academic colleges, enrollment services, and the curriculum development for over 10,000 students.
As a professor, Ennis is a teacher and scholar of British Literature, having published or co-edited four books and numerous articles in that field. He served as a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar in Morocco and Tunisia in 2011, and was selected as a Fulbright Specialist in 2019, with an expertise in accessible higher education, having lectured in both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ennis is married. He and his wife Jennifer have two daughters.
