Higher Education Leadership Experience
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. January 2022-July 2022.
Saint Mary’s College is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the United States. A Catholic liberal arts college, Saint Mary’s offers a range of undergraduate majors in the liberal arts and professional studies as well as a growing number of master’s degree programs. Selected and appointed through AGB Search Interim Placement Service. Please see my CV for my full experience.
Professor of Philosophy, July 2017-present. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty; Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY, July 2017-July 2020.
Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) is a private, independent, co-educational liberal arts college that specializes in place-based education in the heart of New York City and boasts programs in the traditional arts and sciences disciplines as well as in the visual and performing arts, business, and communications and media arts. Total enrollment is 2,000 students. MMC has recently been accredited to offer a master’s degree program. Total budget is over $65 million. As chief academic officer, I sat on the president’s cabinet and oversaw all academic programs, including curriculum development and assessment; academic advising and retention; library resources; study abroad; our Bedford Hills and Taconic College prison programs; and faculty and academic affairs personnel issues. In addition, I was responsible for institution-wide strategic planning and implementation. To prepare for leadership transition in the wake of the pandemic, I stepped down from my role as VPAA but continue to serve as a tenured professor of philosophy.
Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness:
o Oversight of Academic Affairs (98 FT faculty; 250 PT unionized faculty; 49 unionized staff; 12 administrators; 5 academic divisions; curriculum; budget; academic policy; scheduling and space planning; assessment); Academic Advisement; Academic Support; Library; HEOP (opportunity program); Institutional Research; adult and pre-college programs
o President’s Cabinet Member
o Academic Policy Committee Chair
o Student Success Leadership Team Co-Chair (with VP of Enrollment Management)
o College Strategic Communications Team member (with President and VP for Institutional Advancement)
o Campaign planning team member (with President, Assoc. VP for Strategic Initiatives, and Chief Philanthropy Officer)
o College budget committee member and College administration liaison to the Faculty Budget and Welfare committee
o Accreditation Liaison Officer, Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
o Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning Committee Chair; co-led innovative method for plan implementation and data collection presented at MSCHE annual meeting
o Participated in institution-wide risk assessment and emergency planning and developed Academic Affairs continuity of business plan
o Facilitated the opening of an additional instructional site at Taconic Correctional Facility for Women
Fundraising:
o College campaigning planning group co-leader—our work resulted in MMC’s largest single gift--$25 million for scholarship and a new fine arts center, February 2020.
o Awarded $800,000 grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation for MMC’s College Prison programs that I led for our new national model for main campus and correctional facility collaboration, June 2019.
o Developed comprehensive fundraising plan for Academic Affairs in consultation with faculty, division chairs, the chief philanthropy officer, and the president
o Co-chaired launch of externally funded Ferraro Institute and Place-Based Learning Academy
o Successfully raised funding for our college prison programs and Ferraro fellows
o Developed funding priorities and strategies for Griffin Give Day annual event
Budget and Operations Management:
o Oversaw all cost centers within Academic Affairs ($23 million/annually)
o College budget committee member
o Created new, alternative revenue streams: established a new adult and continuing learning academic unit, including national pre-college programs (MMC Summer Academy); generated positive revenues in first year
o Facilitated the development of a revenue study and new model for benchmarked faculty salary increases over the next 5 years; now in third year of implementation
o Initiated a faculty workload committee, creating a more transparent and fairer chair and program director compensation plan and piloting new reassigned time models
o Instituted new data analysis model for study of faculty workload, instructional costs, and revenue generated by the College
o Increased total tenure track faculty lines by 6 in first year and 2 last year, with 5 additional lines planned for external fundraising proposals
o Reorganized Academic Affairs to include new team leader and collaborative approach; re-organized academic advisement office, HEOP (opportunity program), and tutoring into the Center for Academic Excellence
o Supervised implementation of Ad Astra--new scheduling and space analysis software
o Rolled out new curriculum review and catalog software (Smart Catalog)
o Oversaw integrated use of Symplicity/Insight student appointment and advising software across the College
Curriculum Development:
o Facilitated discussion and creation of CityEdge signature courses that focus on experiential, immersive learning in New York City and at our short-term study abroad sites
o Created a Place-Based Learning Academy (initially funded by the Mellon Foundation with additional support from an anonymous donor); co-facilitate with faculty member; planning to make the learning institute national
o Supervised the development of new pre-college programs that link to admissions recruitment
o Laid foundation for new graduate certificate programs
o Developed a faculty fellowship program for the Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence
o Led faculty-wide meetings on innovative pedagogies and programs
o Created QUEST, a pilot program for first year undecided students with GE faculty committee that lays groundwork for GE curriculum innovation; in our first year doubled projected enrollment of undecided students
o Established new program to support innovative interdisciplinary team-teaching
o Facilitated annual dean’s retreat on faculty and curriculum development (recent focuses include creative placemaking pedagogies; place-based learning; institutional learning outcomes; interdisciplinary teaching and learning; general education revision) and participated in faculty-led initiatives
Diversity and Globalization:
o Created new faculty development initiatives to support inclusive pedagogies and more diverse course content, including naming diversity fellow in the Center for Teaching, Innovation, and Excellence; founding a new place-based learning academy with a focus on working inclusively with diverse communities; dean’s grants for discipline-specific diversity initiatives
o Worked with Academic Policy Committee to revise faculty hiring and recruitment guidelines to create more diverse applicant pools and ensure greater faculty diversity
o Collaborated with MMC’s Chief Diversity officer to offer implicit bias training for all faculty hiring committees
o Reviewed and updated policies for short-term study abroad; facilitated new program in Costa Rica on sustainable development
o Planned a post-doctoral program in civic engagement that will increase the recruitment and retention of a more diverse faculty
o Planned a post-doc teaching program in partnership with the Rockefeller Institute to foster a more diverse faculty prepared to teach STEM disciplines at liberal arts colleges
Enrollment Management:
o Developed financial aid strategy and admissions targets in partnership with Director of Admissions, Director of Financial Aid, CFO, and external consultant Ruffalo Noel Levitz
o Worked with division and department chairs to re-organize Admissions Open Houses and Accepted Students Days for AY17-18 (before hire of VP for Enrollment Management)
o Led strategy to re-balance enrollments between liberal arts and performing arts students; enrollments are now shifting to a more financially sustainable balance
o Headed student success strategic implementation team; then co-chaired with new VP of Enrollment Management
o Supervised Assistant Vice President and Dean of the Center for Academic Excellence
Marketing Communications:
o Revamped communications content and flow to prospective students from academic programs
o Met regularly with VP of Enrollment Management and external marketing consultants
o Facilitated rewriting of academic program landing pages
o Developed and wrote a series of letters from the VPAA to prospective students and guidance counselors as part of Admissions communications
o Supervised communications and marketing strategies for all auxiliary education enterprises (pre-college; adult learning)
o Editorial Board Member, Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) Magazine
Trustee, Keystone College, LaPlume, PA, June 2016-May 2019 (unpaid)
o Governance committee, 2018-2019; reconfigured board
o Academic Affairs committee; 2016-2019; co-chair
o Institutional Planning committee, 2016-2018; co-chair
o Institutional Advancement committee, 2017-2018; oversaw public phase and close out of $7 million campaign
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Humanities, Widener University, Chester, PA, July 2014-June 2017.
Widener University is a comprehensive university that enrolls approximately 7,000 in its College of Arts and Sciences and professional schools (including allied health, engineering, business, and law) located in the small city of Chester, PA. As Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, I was responsible for faculty, curriculum (development, implementation, and assessment), student advising, strategic planning, and budget for the College, which boasts nearly 100 full-time faculty members and offers more than 25 undergraduate majors, 2 master’s degrees, and 5 graduate certificates. Supervised three associate deans; an assistant dean; directors of advising and student success, assessment, ROTC, writing center, athletic bands, PCMC museum and gallery, student media outlets, theater programs; office staff. Member of Widener’s Executive Team, University Council, Dean’s Council, and Provost’s Council. I was also a tenured professor of humanities. Left to pursue a higher-level leadership opportunity at Marymount Manhattan College.
Leadership and Strategic Planning:
o Member of Widener’s Presidential Executive Team
o Served on Widener’s university-wide strategic planning steering committee
o Facilitated inclusive participatory planning process across the College of Arts & Sciences; Arts & Sciences plan received highest reviews from university steering committee
o Several strategic initiatives developed in the College of Arts & Sciences became models for other units and/or were adopted as university-wide initiatives
o Articulated a vision for the College of Arts & Sciences and its role within Widener University and its mission
o Facilitated the purchase of Widener’s first global hub, a property in Costa Rica (“CARES21”), and co-led faculty development/curriculum initiatives there
o Developed major new civic engagement initiatives for the College of Arts and Sciences in creative placemaking; restorative justice; sustainability
o Fostered the creation of 4 new multidisciplinary A&S graduate certificates as the start of new master’s degrees built from stackable certificates
o Participated in enterprise risk management assessment as part of the Widener Executive Team
o Mentored A&S administrative team, faculty and student leaders
High Impact Practices (HIPS):
o Led Widener team to the AAC&U High Impact Practices Institute in Nashville, June 2014: team researched High Impact Practices on our campus and developed a plan to increase quality and quantity of HIPs on campus and improved access to HIPs for all students
o Served on Widener High Impact Practices Group
o Supported the expansion of the summer student research program to extend across all college divisions and the professional schools;
o Conceptualized and drafted an AAC&U student well-being grant proposal (awarded); developed new related co-curricular activities
o Served on first year common experience team
o Supervised directors of music, theater, and student media programs that connect academic and extra-curricular activities
o Worked with faculty to develop more short-term study abroad options and developed (and co-taught) a new study abroad service-learning course in rural Mexico
Budget and Operations Management:
o Oversaw all cost centers within the College (annual budget approximately $15 million)
o Collected data to analyze faculty workload, instructional costs, and revenue generated by the College
o Reduced adjunct and overload costs through program review and new scheduling patterns
o Led full A&S undergraduate program review to optimize quality while reducing unnecessary credits and prerequisites to increase admissions competitiveness, promote retention, and grow transfer student rates
o Created new graduate study task force to strengthen existing programs, build new ones, and generate new revenues
o Deactivated low enrolled Master’s in Liberal Studies program; created new graduate certificates
o Reorganized administrative support staff to improve efficiencies and morale
o Search committee, Chief Information Officer
Civic Engagement:
o Created three major new civic engagement initiatives that offer greater opportunities for faculty and student participation, more strongly connect the College to the professional schools and to the community, and model new collaborative possibilities:
§ Chester Made project—a participatory urban planning arts- and story-telling process that involved faculty and students. Collected data that informs new civic arts projects, including “Boundaries and Bridges” project that utilizes creative placemaking methodologies to foster stronger collaboration and understanding between the campus and the community.
§ Youth Courts project—organized a multi-disciplinary group that piloted a new model for national youth courts program at the Widener Partnership Charter School that involves Arts & Sciences and professional school faculty and students. Project has resulted in a cascading mentoring system and new training and disposition possibilities based on resources provided by the law schools and School of Human Services Professions.
§ Sustainability initiative—A&S faculty-led development workshop open to all Widener faculty to learn how to infuse sustainability into the curriculum and connect sustainability efforts to our civic engagement values and mission.
o Created community advisory and steering team committees for A&S led civic engagement initiatives
o Built trust relationships and an extensive network within the Chester community, ranging from the Mayor to nonprofit and business leaders and individual residents and artists
o Member of President’s Community Advisory committee
o Supported the publication of Chester Magazine and a student-produced and directed video on Chester that is featured on the Chester city website and shown at new student orientations
o Recreated and expanded WUBrew coffee program (Widener sells coffee from its Costa Rican farming partner on campus) to ensure commitment to our values and educational aims, increase revenues, and expand marketing visibility and recognition for Widener
o Launched new Widener-led consortium, CARES21 (Consortium for Agro-ecological Research and Sustainability in the 21st Century)
Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Branding:
o Developed new materials to communicate the value proposition of a Widener College of Arts & Sciences education, with an emphasis on the liberal arts, high impact practices, leadership education, and civic engagement (videos, web materials, new presentations)
o Oriented admissions counselors on the value of a Widener College of Arts & Sciences education and the improvement of recruitment messages for prospective Arts & Sciences students
o Created and presented guidance counselor workshops on the value and distinctiveness of a liberal arts education
o Revamped Widener admissions recruitment day presentations to make them more interactive and more appealing to prospective students
o Reorganized Widener day (open house) schedules so that prospective students and their families could explore more majors, programs, and mission-related activities
o Collaborated with the associate vice-president of enrollment management to leverage financial aid packaging for Arts & Sciences majors
o Met regularly with the Director of Admissions to evaluate and improvement recruitment strategies
o Fostered the creation of a new transfer admissions orientation and registration process that increased enrollment yields
o Widener Magazine editorial committee member
o Increased humanities enrollments by 38% in one year
Alumni Engagement:
o Involved College in Homecoming and Spring alumni events with hospitality tent that highlighted our WUBrew coffee program, Costa Rican hub and related curriculum; and developed Arts & Sciences homecoming programming (theater, film, observatory events)
o Developed (with Career Services) new alumni outreach programs, including the piloting of a new alumni-student networking program (Widenet)
o Organized (with university advancement and alumni office, and Widener alumni/ae) a reunion concert and fundraiser that launched a new music alumni affinity group
o Worked with alumna trustee to develop and strengthen a science alumni affinity group
o Created new alumni events to foster student interaction and the development of mentoring relationships
o Improved tracking and recognition of alumni involvement in College of Arts & Sciences events
Fundraising:
o Launched The John Vanore Fund for the Performing Arts
o Co-PI (with community-based artist Devon Walls) of $210,000 grant, “Boundaries and Bridges” from the Barra Foundation
o Partnered with Pennsylvania Humanities Council for additional creative placemaking grants of $375,000 for additional creative placemaking activities involving A&S faculty and students (including grants from Pew and the NEA Our Town program)
o Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Grant principal writer to fund Widener-community collaborative arts festival called “One Day in Chester”
o Collaborated with Boeing Black employee association for community-based literacy program led by Widener faculty and students (Chester Writer’s House)
o Successful donor asks yielded more than $1,000,000 in three years for city, PHC, Widener University, and Chester-based artists; projects are on-going
o Built greater faculty capacity for grant writing and program evaluation
o Made calls on individual donor prospects with Advancement staff; largest successful individual pledge was $1,000,000
Communications and Faculty Governance:
o Introduced “open space” meetings to Widener in which participants set the agenda
o Addressed faculty concerns about bullying at faculty meetings by introducing new rules of engagement
o Held annual listening sessions for every department and program
o Created new communications and outreach strategies to better reach faculty, students, and alumni associated with the College
o Facilitated initial study and reflective discussions on faculty evaluation and rewards in the College Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee
o Partnered with Visiting Seletz Civic Engagement Fellow Timothy Eatman to foster discussion and reflection promotion, tenure, and faculty recognition and rewards
o Expanded A&S Executive team to include two additional faculty members
o Led monthly full college faculty meetings
Commitment to Diversity and to Global Education:
o Increased number of faculty members from underrepresented groups in the College
o Facilitated the purchase of Widener’s first global hub in Poas, Costa Rica “Cares21”
o Developed new course on short-term study abroad course on women and development in Latin America that focuses on intercultural competence
o Invited and sponsored high profile speakers to address diversity issues
o Piloted models of Chester community-university collaborative research and learning projects
o Fostered the creation of a new graduate certificate on diversity in the workplace
o Elected to Phi Beta Delta, the honor society for international scholars, February 2015
Student Transformation and Success:
o Created director of advising and student success position to improve and coordinate advising and related initiatives across the College
o Fostered presentations on our successful science retention program so that we can replicate it in other divisions
o Piloted and evaluated a new general education advising program
o Developed (with A&S faculty) a new university-wide summer registration event for all incoming Widener students (A&S and professional schools) entitled “Choosing Wisely” to help students make more informed course and extra-curricular choices
o Worked with career services professionals to develop new career advising workshops (“Seekers”) aimed at liberal arts and science students
Chair, Department of Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies (LA/W/S) and Professor of Philosophy, University of Scranton, PA, August 1989-June 2014 (on leave August 1999-2001).
Was hired as Instructor of Philosophy; promoted to Assistant Professor of Philosophy in 1992; to Associate Professor of Philosophy (with tenure) in 1995; to full professor in 2003; appointed Director of Women’s Studies from 1996-1999; 2002-2014; elected chair of the Department of Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies, 2009.
o Founding Chair, Department of Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies (LA/W/S), January, 2009-2014. Facilitated the creation of a new interdisciplinary department to house the women’s studies and Latin American Studies Programs. Supervised 32 associated faculty members. Facilitated development of 2 new majors (one in each program). Responsible for budgeting, programming, scheduling, curriculum development, faculty hiring, and strategic planning.
o Director of Women’s Studies Fall 1996-Spring 1999; Fall 2002-2014. Responsibilities included budget design and supervision, faculty development, program administration, interdisciplinary curriculum development, program assessment, grant writing, and collaborative planning and programming with the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, neighboring colleges, and the Scranton Cultural Center.Piloted and evaluated a new general education advising program
o Fellow, Center for Public Initiatives, 1996-97. Responsibilities included making presentations to students and faculty about volunteerism and work in community-based development organizations as well as researching and writing grants for university-community ventures.Developed (with A&S faculty) a new university-wide summer registration event for all incoming Widener students (A&S and professional schools) entitled “Choosing Wisely” to help students make more informed course and extra-curricular choices
o Teaching duties include a range of courses in urban theory, social/political theory, feminist theory and practice, philosophy of the social and behavioral sciences, the philosophy of education, Latin American Studies, and women’s studies. Curriculum development in inter- and multi-disciplinary courses (social research methods, urban studies, Latin American Studies, social entrepreneurship, and women’s studies).
Principal, PraXis edu, June 2012-2015.
Sole practitioner higher education consulting specializing in faculty and curriculum development in sustainability, diversity in higher education, and publicly engaged teaching, research, and social action projects. Also completed research on public engagement and university social responsibility. My clients included Morgan State University, SUNY Cortland, and the Kettering Foundation.
Visiting Professor, Centre for Gender, Culture, and Development, Kigali Institute of Education, Kigali, Rwanda. 2010-2011 part-time.
o Curriculum development: Part of a team that created new interdisciplinary master’s degree program on gender, culture, and development
o Teaching: taught inaugural master’s degree course on feminist pedagogy
o Faculty development: between mentored permanent faculty members on feminist pedagogies and curriculum content
o Administrative and program consulting: Consulted on grants development resulting in $257,000 funding from NORAD (Norway Agency for Development); management, hiring and staff development; and program policies and procedures
Director of Education, The Union Institute’s Office for Social Responsibility, Washington, DC, August 1999-August 2001.
o Co-chief operating officer of Washington office employing staff of twelve, $2 million annual budget secured through external funding; significant fundraising and grant writing responsibilities
o Principal liaison between university’s faculty and students and the Washington office’s applied research and social action programs
o Senior level university administrator consulted on institutional advancement, strategic planning, and information management issues
o Project developer and consultant on applied nonprofit and feminist research, university social responsibility issues, and adult education