Just before the start of the Fall 2019 semester, Dr. Ann Rivera began a new role as Villa Maria College’s Dean of Faculty.
A new position for the College, the Dean of Faculty will fulfill an important function at the institution by providing leadership to the faculty and managing academic policy and procedure. This includes overseeing the overall effectiveness and quality of instruction at the College, overseeing program accreditation and reviews and assisting with grants and curriculum design. Furthermore, Dr. Rivera will supervise and guide department chairs, and supervise and evaluate all full-time faculty, providing mentoring when necessary.
By expanding the academic administration with this role, the College continues to build support for the outstanding teaching and learning environment for students. With this change, Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ryan Hartnett will focus on assessment, accreditation, and new program development, as well as contributing to the strategic direction of the institution.
“Dr. Rivera has been an integral member of our faculty and has taken on many projects and roles, including Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator, Middle States Working Group Chair for Standard III, and co-author of the Student Success Plan, just to name a few,” said Dr. Matthew Giordano, Villa Maria’s president. “In her work as Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Department, Dr. Rivera has used her excellent communication skills and collaborative spirit to provide strong leadership to many areas throughout the college. She will continue to expand upon her leadership role as Dean of Faculty, supporting the success of our students, staff, and faculty.”
Outside of Villa, Dr. Rivera serves as a board member of the New York College English Association, and is in her second year serving as NYCEA’s vice president. She received a grant last year from the Library of Congress through their Teaching with Primary Sources program to deliver professional development on integrating primary sources and writing in middle and high school classrooms. She delivered one set of workshops in the spring, presenting at the Teaching with Primary Sources consortium conference on our work, and is scheduled to present again at the Niagara Frontier Council for the Social Studies in November. She also serves as a member of the WAC Clearinghouse Review Board.
In May, Dr. Rivera was elected to the Buffalo Board of Education as an at-large member. In June, she was appointed their vice president for student achievement on July 1st. As a Board member, she is responsible for oversight of the District’s academic achievement goals.
She holds a Doctor of Philosophy from SUNY Buffalo, a Master of Arts from SUNY at Buffalo and a Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College. Prior to Villa Maria College, Dr. Rivera taught at Medaille and D’Youville Colleges, as well as the University at Buffalo.
