Mary Schutten (image courtesy of Grand Valley State University Communications)
Media contact: Pat Harris, Media Relations, 408-924-1748
Mary C. Schutten has been appointed dean of SJSU’s College of Applied Sciences and Arts, effective July 6.
“I am confident the students, faculty and staff members, alumni and supporters of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts will find Dr. Schutten to be a capable, enthusiastic and resourceful leader,” said SJSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew Hale Feinstein.
Schutten joins SJSU from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, where she served as associate dean for students and curriculum within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 2009 and held a faculty appointment in the Department of Movement Sciences since 2003.
Academic background
Prior to that, she served as a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sports at Calvin College in Michigan for 12 years, including time as chair. She served as an associate professor and chair for the Department of Physical Education and Recreation at Dordt College in Iowa for five years.
Schutten received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physical education from Calvin College, with a minor in German and a master’s degree in exercise science, with a minor in administration, from California State University, Long Beach. She received a doctoral degree in physical education, with an emphasis on motor control and a minor in health education and statistics, from Indiana University.
Supporting students
In addition to her strong academic and administrative background, Schutten brings significant experience with student retention and success. She managed an academic advising center within her college that became a campus-wide model. In addition, her most recent article, “Student Retention and Success = Big Data + the Human Touch,” was included in the conference proceedings at the Hawaii International Conference on Education this year.
During the search process, Schutten expressed a dedication to what she called “hands-on, minds-on” learning and for creating innovative ways to support faculty research, scholarship and creative activity. At the open forum session, she said, “Something I have been a firsthand witness to is pulling together units from various places” to find common interests between disciplines.
San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 30,000 students and 3,740 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.