Caroline Fitzpatrick

Dr. Caroline (Carrie) Fitzpatrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English & Speech Education, a Master of Arts in Communication Studies, a Master of Science in Educational Technology, and a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Linguistics. She is also certified in grantwriting and a variety of distance education technologies.

Fitzpatrick began at Alvernia as the first Coordinator of the Schuylkill Center in Pottsville and as a part-time instructor. Later, she became a full-time faculty member of the Communications & English department where she facilitated curricular initiatives that included new and revised courses, special topic studies, new program tracks, service-learning projects, and new media integration. Fitzpatrick has taught at every level of higher education: bachelor, master, and doctoral courses. Her teaching and research have been recognized with a number of awards including the Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence (2008), Sr. Mary Donatilla Legacy Award for Outstanding Faculty Service (2007), Who's Who Among Women in Education (2006 & 2007), an IUP Doctoral Fellowship for Academic Excellence (2003), an Innovative Teaching Grant for Technology Integration (2001), Who's Who Among America's Best Teachers (2000), and the St. Bernardine Award for Excellence in Teaching (2000). She has been inducted into the following honor societies:  Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society of Humanities & Social Sciences, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society for Adult Students.

As a scholar, Fitzpatrick presents and publishes both nationally and internationally, traveling throughout the United States, Europe, & Asia. Her specialties include cultural studies and preservation, media advocacy, new media technology, qualitative research methods, and sustainability. She serves on the Executive Board of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. She also works in the community as a grant writer and as a qualitative research consultant for interviews, focus groups, oral histories, and ethnographic projects. In 2010, she served as the Convention Chair of the International English Honor Society's Conference, Storytellers, held in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2011, she coordinated an overseas educational tour of Europe, and traveled with graduate students to the Dominican Republic to complete action research and complete a Strategic Plan for Community Development, Fundraising, and Vounteerism that included a website, public service announcements, and a documentary short. Currently, she is active in the Graduate School as a member of the research faculty; serves as a chair or committee member on several capstone, thesis, and dissertation committees; and serves on the University’s Institutional Review Board.

In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Fitzpatrick has served Alvernia University in administrative positions as the Director of Instructional Standards; Director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies for Community Leadership; and as the first Director for the Office of Distance Education. Currently, she is exploring social entrepreneurship ventures that tap into her values connecting creative expression, community-based research, and worldwide literacy efforts.

During her personal time, Fitzpatrick values time with her family, friends and pets; hikes the Appalachian trail; reads voraciously; travels extensively; writes creative nonfiction; and collects classic/foreign films and indie music. A perpetual student, she began experimenting with digital photography for both professional development and personal enjoyment.