Katie Conboy Accepts Senior Position at Simmons
January 11, 2013
Katie Conboy, the College's longest-serving chief academic officer, is leaving Stonehill after 26 years of outstanding service as a professor and as a senior administrator.
Today, Simmons College in Boston announced the appointment of Conboy as its new Provost and Senior Vice President. At Simmons, the provost is the College's chief academic officer, responsible for the management of the undergraduate women's college, as well as the five graduate schools. Currently on sabbatical from Stonehill, Conboy will begin her duties at Simmons on July 1.
"I've spent almost half my life at Stonehill, and one could say I ‘grew up' professionally here," Conboy said in announcing her departure. "In fact, given the College's institutional youth, one could say Stonehill and I grew up together, and the deepest pleasures and most profound accomplishments of my career are tied up in that connection. The remarkable people I work with here made the decision to move one of the most difficult of my life. But I know the time is right, and I believe that I will have similar opportunities to make a real difference at Simmons College."
To read Conboy's letter to the Stonehill Community, visit here.
Stonehill Career
Conboy joined the English Department in 1987 as an assistant professor. A decade later, she was promoted to professor of English and, in 1998, she became the department chair. In 2000, Conboy was named acting academic vice president and dean. Following the arrival of President Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C. and a restructuring of college governance, she was appointed vice president for academic affairs in 2001. In 2008, she became provost and vice president for academic affairs.
As the College's thirteenth chief academic officer, Conboy oversaw a number of areas of responsibility: curriculum, faculty, academic services, student achievement, registrar, the MacPhaidin Library, career services, and academic development. She also supported the College's efforts in strategic planning and in enrollment management.
Learning, Teaching, Scholarship
"Katie is respected for her energy, intellect, know-how, and ability. Her service has been defined by her dedication to our academic mission, along with her love of learning, enthusiasm for teaching, and numerous scholarly interests," said Stonehill President Rev. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C.
"An educational leader, Katie has the unique ability to motivate each individual and to create consensus to undertake new initiatives and projects," President Cregan added. "You can see this clearly in all of her outstanding contributions, particularly those that enabled the Academic Division and our faculty to flourish. Katie has enhanced our academic mission and she has the gratitude of the entire Stonehill community for what she has accomplished."
Accomplished Leader
When appointed chief academic officer, Conboy's charge was to shape the intellectual culture of the College by building a community of teaching, learning, and scholarly excellence and by providing the organizational structure to support it.
Under her leadership, Stonehill has grown in academic stature, developing a reputation as a college that engages, nurtures, challenges, and champions both students and faculty.
During her tenure as chief academic officer, Conboy has had many accomplishments. These include:
• Hiring 95 members of the current full-time faculty (including 40 in new positions).
• Creating a supportive infrastructure for faculty development, program development, and co-curricular initiatives.
• Overseeing the design and implementation of a new four-year General Education curriculum.
• Securing accreditation for two major programs - AACSB (Business Administration), ACE (Chemistry) along with AUPHA certification (Healthcare Administration).
• Implementing new interdisciplinary programs, including Biochemistry, Gender Studies, American Studies, Neuroscience, Environmental Studies, Cinema Studies, Anthropology, and Arts Administration.
• Overseeing the establishment the Center for Teaching and Learning.
• Developing community-based learning initiatives and creating the Office for Community-Based Learning.
• Assisting with the College's Attaining the Summit comprehensive campaign, which resulted in the addition of the Shields Science Center and many new student scholarships.
• Expanding international opportunities for students.
• Raising the level of individual faculty participation in grant-making and sponsored projects and securing more than $5 million in grant awards.
In 1998, Conboy was among 50 individuals honored by the College with a Moreau Medallion for significant contributions to Stonehill's success in its first 50 years. In 1999, she received the Louise Hegarty Award for Excellence in Teaching.
A widely published scholar, Conboy specializes in British fiction, Irish literature, and feminist theory. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Notre Dame.
Conboy and her husband Thomas O'Grady, a writer and a professor of English at the University of MassachusettsBoston, live in Milton. They are the parents of three daughters, Mairéad, Caitríona '12, and Siobhán.
Contact
For more information, contact Communications and Media Relations at 508-565-1321.