Alvernia's New Provost

Date:       April 25, 2006

To:           Alvernia College Community
From:       Tom Flynn, President

Subject:   New Provost

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I am delighted to announce that Dr. Shirley J. Williams has accepted our invitation to be our new chief academic officer and will become Provost and Professor of Education, effective July 15.

Shirley is currently Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Education at Gonzaga University, a mid-sized Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Previously, she served nine years as a faculty member, chair, dean, and interim academic vice president at the University of St. Francis (formerly the College of St. Francis), a Franciscan institution in Illinois, and as a department chair at the University of Hawaii. She has extensive background with both undergraduate liberal arts education, including state-wide leadership on general education, and with adult and graduate education, including experience with off-site and international programs. Like many Alvernia faculty, she also brings experience from outside academe--in junior high science education, computer science, and health care management. She and her husband John met in high school and share interests in travel, music, sports, and Hawaiian culture.

Shirley was recommended unanimously and enthusiastically by the Search Advisory Committee. Reactions to her following her campus visit were very positive.  A wide variety of references (and others whose opinions were solicited) praised her innovative, creative leadership; ability to work with diverse faculty and administrative colleagues; management skills and entrepreneurial spirit; and commitment to Catholic and Franciscan higher education. She has expertise in institutional assessment and technology and a proven record of building successful community partnerships, enhancing diversity and programs for underserved populations, and helping lead strategic and academic planning initiatives. Current and former colleagues emphasize that she listens well, brings disparate views and factions together, enjoys her work, and gets things done!

The Search Committee, chaired ably by Dr. Judy Warchal, and assisted by Connie Zeigler, deserve credit for the success of our search. Many thanks to:  Professors Scott Ballantyne, Steve Campion, Kevin Godfrey, Bill Harst, and Judy Warchal; Dean Joan Lewis; Gene Mitchell, Mary Sacavage, Sister Rosemary Stets, and Dwayne Walker; Trustees Lloyd Norman and Ron Smith; and Andrew Connors ’08 and Stephanie Simmers ’07. Committee members were superb representatives of Alvernia, and I salute them particularly for their high standards of expectation.

Helen and I look forward to hosting a campus reception in August to welcome Shirley and John. And all of us look forward to Shirley’s leadership and service to enhance our academic programs and quality of the entire College.

Updated: June 2, 2006

Your comments are welcome.