MAE 2010 Volume: 5 Issue: 5 (July)
Thomas W. Giffin has been named Coker College’s new vice president for institutional advancement. He was formerly a senior director of development at Clemson University. At Coker, Giffin will oversee the college’s fundraising and alumni initiatives and report to the president as an administrative officer. Previously, Giffin served as a director of development at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., where he established the initial fundraising efforts for the graduate school and the university honor’s program. During his last two years at Virginia Tech, his energies were centered on the nationally recognized university honors program, securing private funding for several new scholarship programs and establishing a series of alumni events. “Tom has a tremendous track record in higher education and his passion for improving higher education is evident,” said Dr. Robert Wyatt, Coker College president. “His energy and broad range of experience will greatly benefit Coker’s fundraising, alumni relations and the college as a whole.”
The Harper College Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Dr. Ronald Ally as the college’s new executive vice president of finance and operations. Dr. Ally is a certified public accountant and a consultant and evaluator for the higher learning commission, and is a former member of the finance advisory committee of the Illinois Community College Board. He holds a doctorate from Northern Illinois University, a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Ally has more than 17 years of experience in Illinois community colleges, having served as vice president for administrative services and treasurer at McHenry County College; director of financial affairs and controller at College of Dupage; and controller at Moraine Valley Community College. He will succeed Judy Thorson, vice president of administrative services, who retired from Harper last year.
Laurie Koehler, who currently serves as director of admission at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, has been named Bryn Mawr College’s new dean of admissions. Koehler has been director of admission at Miami University since March of 2007, and under her leadership Miami has enrolled the most ethnically and socioeconomically diverse class in its 200-year history. She also led a restructuring of the admission organization, better aligning positions, people and resources with office and university goals, and increased opportunities for professional development. Prior to going to Miami, Koehler was the senior associate director for recruitment at Cornell University and an assistant dean of admissions at the University of Virginia. She received both a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and communication studies and a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia.
Newberry College, a Lutheran-affiliated liberal arts college, named Dr. V. Scott Koerwer, a senior business school administrator, entrepreneur and authority on leadership and strategy, to become the college’s 21st president. He follows Dr. Mitchell Zais, who has served as Newberry’s president since 2000. Margaret Jablonski has been appointed vice president for student affairs at the University of New Haven. Jablonski has nearly 30 years experience in higher education and currently serves as the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining UNC-Chapel Hill in 2004, she served as dean for campus life at Brown University, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Connecticut, associate dean for undergraduate education and student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and assistant dean for residential services at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her doctorate in education at Boston University.
The American Association of University Professors honored Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, with its Alexander Meiklejohn Award for Academic Freedom. McGuire was recognized for her outspoken defense last year of the right of Roman Catholic colleges to have a range of speakers on their campuses. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in political science from Trinity in 1974 and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she later became the assistant dean for development and external affairs and an adjunct professor of law, teaching courses in tax exempt organizations. ♦