Dr. Dorman was the first president of GCSU who came from a background in health science and education. When he came to Milledgeville, he had been serving as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida. Prior to that he had been Chair of the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Dorman began his academic career at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology. He did graduate work at the University of Tennessee, receiving his Ph.D. in Health Education.
Dr. Dorman oversaw the renovation and/or restoration of the following campus buildings: Ennis Hall (2014), Mayfair Hall (2017), McIntosh Hose (2017), Beeson Hall (2017), Heritage Hall in Russell Library (2018), Peabody portion of Kilpatrick Hall (2019), and Terrell Hall (2019). In addition, the university acquired the former Episcopal rectory and renovated it to become the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy (2017). Andalusia was gifted to the GCSU Foundation in August 2017 and serves as a house museum celebrating the author, Flannery O'Connor.
During Dr. Dorman's tenure, the College of Health Sciences established the DNP (2012), the university celebrated its quasquicentennial (125th anniversary) in 2014, the College of Education established the Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (2019), two new institutes were established: the Andalusia Institute and the Rural Studies Institute (2020), the establishment of the John Sallstrom Honors College (2020), and the dedication of the new Integrated Science Building (2021).