Dr. Gayle Ormiston, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Marshall University, today announced that two university administrators have assumed new roles.
Dr. Sherri Smith, executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, has accepted an interim appointment as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of undergraduate studies. Smith’s appointment took effect July 28, 2014, and runs through June 30, 2015.
Also, Ormiston announced that Dr. Karen McComas, assistant director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, has agreed to serve as executive director of the center in an interim appointment, which began July 28, 2014, and runs through June 30, 2015.
“I look forward to the many positive contributions Sherri and Karen will undoubtedly make to advancing student persistence and success initiatives, positive learning experiences, and supporting faculty professional development and success,” Ormiston said.
Smith served as the director of the Service Learning Program from its inception in 2002 until she was appointed director of the Center for Teaching and Learning in 2008.
As part of a service learning course that she taught, Smith founded Dress for Success River Cities in 2006 and also served as executive director until July 2009. This nonprofit organization provides appropriate attire and a social network to disadvantaged women who are seeking a new career.
Smith earned a BA in 1986 in English and Journalism Education from Marshall; an MA in 1989 in Theology and Ethics from Northern Theological Seminary; an MA in 1993 in English from Northwestern University; and a Ph.D. in 2000 in Victorian Literature, with a doctoral certification in women’s studies from Indiana University.
As a member of the English department faculty from 1999 to 2008, she has taught numerous courses at Marshall, including British Literature; 19th Century British Novel, Pre-Raphaelite Literature and Introduction to Women’ Studies. She has also taught First Year Seminar during her appointment in the Center for Teaching and Learning.
McComas joined the faculty of Marshall University in August of 1986, teaching and supervising in the undergraduate and graduate programs in the Communication Disorders department. Previously, she worked as a speech-language pathologist in the public school systems of Carter County, Kentucky, and Lincoln County, West Virginia, from 1978 to 1986.
McComas earned a BA in 1977 and an MA in 1978 in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Marshall. In 2011, she earned a doctoral degree, majoring in Curriculum and Instruction with an area of emphasis in social inquiry.
She has taught numerous courses at Marshall, including the capstone course for undergraduate students majoring in Communication Disorders, phonological disorders, and therapeutic procedures. McComas’ research interests include the development of research identities in women, the cultural practices of a community of research practice, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
In addition to her duties in the Center for Teaching and Learning, McComas also serves as the university’s NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative.
