Search committee narrows field to three finalists for chief academic officer position
A search committee for the University of St. Thomas' next executive vice president and chief academic officer interviewed candidates last month and has narrowed the field to three finalists.
They are:
- Dr. Mary Ellen Beadle, until recently the provost and academic vice president at Assumption College. Located in Worcester, Mass., Assumption is a Catholic college that enrolls about 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students. She holds a master's in speech and doctorate in curriculum and instruction, both from Kent State University. She was a professor and dean at John Carroll University before becoming provost at Assumption.
- Dr. Susan Huber, interim executive vice president and chief academic officer here at St. Thomas. Huber holds a master's in curriculum and instruction, and doctorate in educational leadership, both from St. Thomas. A former dean at St. Mary's College Graduate Center, Huber joined the St. Thomas faculty in 1992. She was named chair of the Teacher Education Department in 1996 and held leadership positions in the School of Education and College of Applied Professional Studies from 2006 to 2008.
- Dr. Kenneth Porada, provost at Dominican University of California. Located just north of San Francisco in California's Marin County, Dominican is a Catholic university that enrolls about 2,100 undergraduate and graduate students. Porada's master's degree and doctorate, both in psychology, are from Bowling Green State University. He taught psychology at Heidelberg College, and later served there as dean, vice president for academic affairs and interim president. He has been provost at Dominican University since 2002.
Open-session interviews, which are open to all members of the St. Thomas community, will be held later this month and in early March. The interview schedule will be published soon.
It is expected that a new executive vice president and chief academic officer will be selected in April and start here on July 1.
The new executive vice president and chief academic officer will fill the position formerly held by Dr. Thomas Rochon, who left St. Thomas last July to become president of Ithaca College in New York.
