Date: October 21, 2003
Contact: Michael Hopkins
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: m-hopkins@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, October 21, 2003 –Governors State University announced the appointment of Professor Kelly McCarthy to director of Student Development today. McCarthy will report to Dr. Eric Martin, the university's assistant provost and director for the Center for Quality.
"I couldn't be happier with the selection,"; Martin said. "Professor McCarthy has been a mainstay in Student Development. She's been an outreach counselor for many years here, and she knows students. She knows the problems they face, and she knows the solutions."
According to Martin, the Division of Student Development offers key resources to university students: a writing center, tutoring services, mental health counseling, advising for undeclared students, online orientation, and disabilities services.
"Student Development lies at the heart of the university,"; Martin said. "It is the safety net that ensures every student in the university has the support he or she needs to finish a degree program and move on to a successful career.";
McCarthy said her vision for the Division of Student Development includes expanding services by expanding independent study opportunities within the department.
"Some of GSU's best scholars are students who have the absolute ability to help their peers succeed,"; she said. "When we create independent study positions for them, they can work as tutors, help pay for their education, and help other students master subject matter at the same time.";
McCarthy has been with the university for 11 years. She was part of the development team that created the university's online student orientation and directed self-placement for math and English last year. It was the first online orientation in the nation to combine directed self-placement for both subjects.
McCarthy also co-wrote the newly acquired Ronald McNair Baccalaureate Achievement grant for the university. The grant will help students from underrepresented groups progress from undergraduate studies at GSU to doctoral programs. GSU is one of only four new universities to be awarded a McNair grant this year.
McCarthy received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her master's degree in Human Service and Counseling from DePaul University. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor.
