Saint Mary’s College Announces Dean of Faculty
Dean of Faculty Vickie Lynne HessContact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
August 20, 2013 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College is pleased to announce that, after a national search, Vickie Lynne Hess has joined the College as dean of faculty. Hess has spent many years in Indiana. She earned her PhD in chemistry at Indiana University, Bloomington and worked as a professor and administrator at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion for 25 years. She hails originally from New York City and most recently from American International College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she served as an academic dean since 2006. She is a product of an undergraduate women’s college, graduating with Phi Beta Kappa distinction from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Her undergraduate majors were in chemistry and physics.
“I am delighted that our search process brought us Dean Hess,” said Provost/Senior Vice President Patricia Fleming. “At this juncture in higher education, her prior experience as dean, as well as her background in science, will stand us in good stead. Increasingly more women are coming to us wishing to major in one of the sciences, math, or nursing. Vickie understands the complexity of those curriculums. Her presence helps me to focus on the development of some of our other exciting new initiatives in President Carol Ann Mooney’s strategic plan Boldly Forward. I am grateful to the faculty search committee for urging me to include her as a finalist in our search.”
Under the general supervision of the provost/senior vice president of academic affairs, the dean of faculty oversees and supports the College’s undergraduate programs. Among her responsibilities, Hess will lead faculty in a continual review and improvement of the College’s undergraduate academic program and promote quality instruction.
“The convergence of faith-based education, education of young women, and focus on the liberal arts resonates with all my passions,” said Hess. “I've already felt the warmth of the Saint Mary’s community, and am excited beyond words about becoming a contributing member of that community.”
Hess comes to Saint Mary’s with experience in the development of new academic and honors programs, strategic planning, general education curriculum development, student success and retention, and grant writing, among other experiences. Her two most recent positions were at the American International College where she served as dean of the School of Art, Education, and Sciences and, prior to that, as the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
Hess began her position at Saint Mary’s College this summer, well ahead of the start of classes, which begin Monday, August 26.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2013 published by U.S. News. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.