Profile: Associate Dean Kathleen McSharry

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Kaitlynn

Introducing Associate Dean Kathleen McSharry

by Lisa Vollendorf.

It is with great joy that I announce the arrival of our new Associate Dean, Dr. Kathleen McSharry. Dr. McSharry is an experienced academic leader with expertise in curriculum, assessment, student success, and strategic initiatives related to humanities and the arts. In making this announcement, I also want to thank search committee members Fred Cohen, Scot Guenter, Damian Bacich, Vivi Yang, Connie Hwang, and Elaine Collins, as well as staff liaison Keay Edwards, for their incredible work in running an efficient, effective, and successful search.

Dr. McSharry earned her B.A. in English at the University of California, Berkeley, and master’s and doctoral degrees in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She began her academic career as an instructor of Women’s Studies and English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, later serving as an English professor and department Chair at Dana College in Nebraska. She moved to full-time administrative duties at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, where she administered the general education program and over saw the first-year seminar program.

Before coming to San José State, McSharry served as Associate Dean of the College for Curriculum and Bruce Donovan Dean of Chemical Dependency at Brown University. As Associate Dean of the Curriculum, Mc Sharry worked with 45 academic departments on curricular development, assessment, and evaluation. She also managed first-year and sophomore seminar programs, supervised academic tutoring and writing support initiatives, and directed strategic initiatives housed in the College. In her capacity as Dean of Chemical Dependency, McSharry provided primary academic and emotional support to students recovering from drug and alcohol use disorders, and worked with other offices on campus to establish policies and procedures that ensure a safe learning environment. Her publications focus on Holocaust pedagogy and standards-based approaches to assessing general education learning outcomes.

Dean McSharry is thrilled to join the College of Humanities and the Arts at San José State University. She looks forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, and students across the University to foster an appreciation of the arts and humanities in the lives of individuals and in the health of communities.