ST MARY'S CITY, Md. (May 17, 2011)—Dr. Beth Rushing, of the
University of Washington Tacoma, has been named St. Mary’s
College of Maryland’s new vice president for academic
affairs and dean of faculty, and will begin in the role July
1. Rushing serves as vice chancellor for academic affairs
and is a professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at
the Washington State college.
“Beth’s years of experience in academic administration at a
number of public institutions, her time spent in the
classroom, and her background of collaboration with faculty
make her an excellent choice to be the college’s new vice
president,” said President Joseph Urgo. “We are very pleased
she has agreed to come.”
Molly Mahoney Matthews, Board of Trustees chair, agreed.
"Beth Rushing rose to the top of a competitive pool of
candidates to be selected as the next vice president for
academic affairs and Dean of Faculty. I had an opportunity
to spend time with Beth and was impressed with her passion,
expertise, and the feel she had for faculty collaboration
and our campus community. She will bring her energy and
passion to our extraordinary faculty and take us to the next
level of scholarship and honors."
UW Tacoma is one of three campuses that make up the
University of Washington. A small urban campus that
overlooks the Port of Tacoma and Mount Rainier, it is home
to more than 3,000 students in seven academic units,
studying in 27 undergraduate and six graduate programs.
“For many years, Rushing said, “I have admired the public
honors college mission at St. Mary's. Liberal arts
institutions are unique in their holistic focus on students.
They create the conditions for students to expand their
skills and knowledge and deepen their understanding of
themselves as citizens and stewards of the world. St. Mary's
fosters this through close student-faculty interactions and
an amazing array of co-curricular opportunities for
students.”
Before joining the University of Washington Tacoma, Rushing
was dean at the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia
College & State University just as it was designated a
public liberal arts university. She taught sociology at the
University of Tennessee at Martin and Kent State University.
Rushing is interested in environmental issues and
international programs; twice she taught study-abroad
programs in the Bahamas that addressed the environment and
globalization. Her research focuses on work/life balance,
with a particular emphasis on work/life concerns of tenure-
track faculty. Also, at Tacoma, she helped create five new
undergraduate programs, including information technology,
health care leadership, criminal justice, writing studies,
and sustainable urban development.
Rushing received her bachelor’s degree in sociology at
Carson-Newman College in Tennessee, and her master’s and
Ph.D. also in sociology from Duke University.
“I look forward to working with President Urgo and the rest
of the St. Mary's faculty, staff, and students to continue
these wonderful academic traditions,” Rushing said.