A member of our academic community for over 25 years, Dr. Mandel brings to the role of dean not only a deep understanding of SUNY Oswego but also an unwavering commitment to our institution's success. A former chair of the psychology department and Associate Provost for more than 10 years, she has served as Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since January 2007.

Long an advocate for the value of liberal arts education, she has been actively involved in many successful interdisciplinary initiatives at Oswego, such as the Human-Computer Interaction master's program and the Interdisciplinary Programs and Activities Center, and has been an academic leader in the development of innovative campus-wide programs like the Oswego Reading Initiative, Hart Global Living and Learning Center, First-Year Programs and The Compass. Her accomplishments include increasing diversity in hiring and in the curriculum.

She has a national reputation for her work on retention and first-year programs. With former Dean Sara Varhus and Dean Linda Rae Markert, she secured funding for the Catalyst Project to study the integrative thinking of new students. She is experienced in working successfully with SUNY System Administration and with the Middle States Association accrediting body.

Her extensive and diverse experience as an educational administrator will greatly advantage an academic unit that, in the next five years, will see dramatic changes in facilities and curricular opportunities for students as the college moves forward with the sciences renovations, engineering, academic planning, General Education revisions, and other new programs and projects.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rhonda Mandel as she leads our College of Liberal Arts and Sciences into this exciting future of challenge and promise.

Susan Coultrap-McQuin
Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs