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O'Sullivan Named VP for Academic Affairs

Neumann has appointed Gerard P. O'Sullivan, Ph.D. to the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs. O'Sullivan comes to Neumann with extensive experience as an academic administrator and scholar, most recently as the dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences at Felician College in Lodi, New Jersey, a post he has held since 1997. He will begin his work at Neumann on July 15, 2006.

At Felician, O'Sullivan supervised 12 academic majors and 5 concentrations. He also led efforts to integrate the Franciscan intellectual tradition into the overall curriculum, evaluate teaching and learning outcomes, and revise the core curriculum. A self-described "visionary pragmatist," O'Sullivan believes that a Catholic college can offer students a "vision of wholeheartedness - one which is rooted in an ethic of self-giving and self-sacrifice."

O'Sullivan earned his Ph.D. in comparative literature at the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in theological studies at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and a B.A. from Fordham University in English and theology. At Fordham, he co-founded the program in literary studies, a multidisciplinary approach to cross-cultural literature. A specialist in eighteenth-century British and continental poetry, O'Sullivan has broad experience in college teaching and research. He has published dozens of papers.

In 1985, he served as the assistant director for Collegium Phenomenologicum, in Perugia, Italy, an international summer program in contemporary continental philosophy involving 50 faculty and participants. He has participated actively in the work of Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, and the Council for Independent Colleges.

"I am very pleased that Dr. O'Sullivan is joining the leadership team at Neumann," said Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, College president. "He is a scholar and administrator with impressive credentials and a heartfelt dedication to Catholic education in the Franciscan tradition. We look forward to his leadership in Academic Affairs."

3/30/06