College gets closer to selecting a new president
Date: 1/14/2009
By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
CHICOPEE On Friday, Elms College announced that three college administrators have made the final cut for the position of president.
Nancy Blattner, Ph.D., vice president and dean for academic affairs at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Mo.; Patrick Joyce, Ed.D, vice president of university advancement and government relations at Carlow University in Pittsburgh., Penn.; and Mary Reap, IHM, Ph.D., former president of Marywood University in Scranton, Penn., will now go through a final interviewing process with staff, faculty members and students.
A decision is expected in February.
Judge Mary E. Hurley, who headed the search committee, said, "We met for two days interviewing a significant number of candidates at the Sheraton Springfield before choosing the three finalists, all of whom have excellent qualifications and experience."
Over 40 candidates applied for the job, according to Russell Powell of the college's public relation staff. That number was brought down to nine applicants who were interviewed in December.
According to the biography on the Web site of Yaffe & Company Inc., a consulting firm specializing in executive compensation and other board governance services, Reap has been employed by the company as a senior consultant since 2007. She was named the President Emerita of Marywood University after serving as president for 19 years.
She received a bachelor's degree from Marywood College, a master's degree from Assumption College and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.
Reap's numerous professional affiliations "include board of director memberships as well as committee roles. She has served on both national and state boards of educational associations and was named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Business Journal in 2003. She is currently serving as President of the Middle States Association and frequently serves on evaluation teams for other colleges and universities."
Joyce has served as Carlow University's chief advancement officer since 1995 when he was invited to the then Carlow College to provide leadership for the institution's largest capital campaign in its history, according to information supplied by Carlow University.
The biography included, "Following the successful conclusion of that campaign he was appointed by the president to co-chair, with a member of the faculty, the institution's Strategic Futures Planning process...Those plans were foundational for the [c]ollege's successful application in 2004 to become Pennsylvania's first women-centered university. Today Carlow University is one of only three Catholic, women-centered universities in the nation.
"Prior to joining Carlow University, Dr. Joyce served in similar leadership capacities in Advancement at Duquesne University (Pittsburgh), the University of Dayton (Ohio) and Wheeling Jesuit University (West Virginia)," the bio continued.
He earned his B.A. at Duquesne University in Political Science and his doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Blattner supplied her resume to Reminder Publications. She has been Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs at Fontbonne University since 2004.
Her previous positions include Interim Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Support Programs at Longwood University, Academic Associate, Office of the Provost, and Associate Dean, School of University Studies at Southeast Missouri State University and Director of Writing Assessment, Southeast Missouri State University.
In 2002, she was selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. Blattner competed nationally to receive an ACE Fellowship which allowed her to work in a mentoring relationship with the president of Longhill University for one academic year.
She received a B.S. in Secondary Education/English from Southeast Missouri State University, a M.A. in English from Southeast Missouri State University and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
Dr. Walter C. Breau has been serving as interim president of Elms since James H. Mullen left in June 2008 to become president of Allegheny College.
Chair of the Board of Trustees Linda Mansfield said, "The board, search committee and Elms community are seeking a leader who understands the specialness of the college, our commitment to academic excellence, belief in the importance of service to others and faith in the charisma of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph. All three finalists demonstrate these prized qualities, and more."
