DEBORAH VESS
Vice President of Academic Affairs
Amarillo College
Amarillo, Texas 79109

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. December 1991 University of North Texas in European History (medieval). Dissertation: Humanism in the Middle Ages: Peter Abailard and the Breakdown of Medieval Theology.

MA 1980 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Philosophy.

BMUS 1985 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, with highest distinction; major in Piano Performance.

BA 1979 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, with Honors in Philosophy and High Distinction. Minor in music and Russian area studies.


AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:

1. Medieval history, with a concentration in the monastic reform movement of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the history of Christian thought from the Church fathers through the Reformation, Church history, and heretical movements of the Central Middle Ages.
2. Renaissance and Reformation history.
3. European intellectual and cultural history from the Middle Ages to the late nineteenth century.
4. History of Philosophy from ancient Greece to the late nineteenth century.
5. Integrative Studies.

EXPERIENCE:

January 2015-present Amarillo College Vice President of Academic Affairs

Duties include oversight of the division fo Acadeimc Affairs, including seven deans/divisions (Deans of STEM, Liberal Arts, Technical Education, Nursing, Allied Health, Student Success (first year programs, AEL grant project, etc.) and Continuing Education), the associate vice president for teaching and learning (the CTL and library), the two CEOs of the branch campuses, the director of assessment, the director of Dual Credit/Extended Programs; serving as SACS liaison; overseeing the Perkins and Department of Labor grant projects.

2014 Rivier University Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of History

Duties included oversight of Academic Affairs, comprised of five deans and divisions (Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Nursing, Undergradaute Studies (General Education, Interdisicplinary Studies, and Service Learning), and Evening and Professional Studies), Library, Early Childhood Center, Registrar, and Global Engagement. In addition, the VPAA is responsible for assessment and accreditation, student success initiatives (including Advisement, Disability Services, Student Success First-Year course, and the Writing and Resource Center), and other related areas.

2011-2014: CUNY-The College of Staten Island. Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies and Academic Programs. Tenured member of the faculty.

Duties include oversight of the Center for International Service, Discovery Institute, Macualay Honors College, Verrazano School, Teacher Eduication Honors Academy, Small Business Development Institute, Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development, Office of Access and Support Programs (Black Male Initiative and C-STEP), Teachers on Sabbatical, Summer and Winter intersessios, Undergraduate Conference on Research, Scholarship, and Performance, FIRST Learning Communities, and the CSI Foundations of Excellence Program.

1997-2011: Georgia College & State University

Positions held: Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies (promoted in 2002); Special Assistant to the Provost (2009-2011); SACS liaison (2009-2011); Interim Director of Assessment (2010-2011); Assistant to the President for Strong Foundations Prject (2008-2009); Coordinator of Institutional Effecitveness for Academic Affairs (2008-2009); Coordinator, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2004-2011), Fall 2001-Spring 2002: Director of Interdisciplinary Studies and Associate Professor of History (1997-2001; tenured 2001); International Coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences (1997-2001).

Duties as Special Assistant ot the Provost included program review, SACS accreditation oversight, annual student learning outcomes assessment, coordination of four college level assessment coordinators, oversight faculty research grants and faculty excellence awards, and new faculty orientation.

Duties as Coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness for Academic Affairs include helping deans, department chairs, and faculty develop assessment instruments and methods; facilitating the approval process for schools and departments; recovering and archiving assessment data; assisting the Director of Institutional Effectiveness with accreditation tasks, including the GCSU QEP.

Duties as Coordinator of CETL include organizing faculty development workshops, providing training in assessment, technology, and other teaching and learning resources; organizing faculty learning communities; providing consultations to faculty and departments on the evaluation of teaching effectiveness and assessment of student learning outcomes.

Duties as Director of IDST included supervising course development and faculty teaching the nine IDST core courses, supervising the Liberal Studies major (B.G.S.), Women's Studies Minor, Black Studies Minor, Urban Studies Minor, International Studies Minor, coordinating faculty development seminars and IDST symposia, working with the Deans on student petitions/appeals, and numerous other issues that come before the Dean's office.

Duties as International Coordinator for Arts and Sciences included organizing symposia, providing information to faculty on USG opportunities to participate in study abroad programs, and consulting with faculty and departments to provide resources to internationalize the curriculum.

courses taught (note hyperlinks are to pages that are being restored to my new website location: