dean’s list:
New chief administrator dives in from day one By Dawn Medley
Our appointment is scheduled for 2 p.m., but she calls me right in when I arrive five minutes early. She’s ready. That does not, however, mean she stashed the budget reports and registrar’s data she was reading out of sight or scrambled to make sure all her move-in boxes were tidy. This is the office of a person in transition, trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, doing her best. Catharine O’Connell, its new occupant, sits easily in its midst. It is July 9, and she has officially been on the job for five days. She’s ready. Not just for her first interview as Mary Baldwin College’s vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) and dean of the college, but for the role itself. “Even from my brief acquaintance with the college, I see many exciting opportunities that result from Mary Baldwin’s responsiveness to a changing world and being intentional about clearly articulating its educational values,” O’Connell said shortly after her appointment. From her first day in the office, she became fully immersed in those opportunities. She is swimming in
them, really — already demonstrating her relationship by employing “we” and “our” when talking about MBC. “This first week has been about getting up to speed, learning where we are as an institution and our position in a national context,” said O’Connell, gesturing to binders, folders, and bound reports that obscure the top of her generous desk. O’Connell stopped in at the Staunton campus several times after the announcement of her hire in early January to shake hands, share anecdotes, and pick up background information. Now it was the real deal. *** It took nearly three years to find O’Connell — while Edward Scott, professor of philosophy, served capably and enthusiastically as interim VPAA and dean — and she is uniquely prepared to add her voice to the vision for MBC. Her most recent position as
provost and VPAA at Defiance College in Ohio built the experience needed for her current role. At Defiance, she worked with faculty to create inventive academic programs such as the college’s unique McMaster School for Advancing Humanity. New undergraduate majors in digital forensics, international and global studies, and teacher licensure in special education were also introduced under O’Connell’s leadership. Prior to her work at Defiance, O’Connell’s position as dean for academic affairs at Philadelphia’s Cabrini College prepared her for initiatives that Mary Baldwin continues to explore, such as learning communities, an honors living-learning environment, and community-based research. Her experience teaching English and developing a major in American literature at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, prepared her for her additional Mary Baldwin role as professor of English. CONTINUED
Mary Baldwin College Magazine
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