Joan Gillespie, who has created and overseen undergraduate programs in Latin America and Europe during the past 16 years, has been appointed Vice President and Director of Off-Campus Study Programs at ACM.
“A seasoned administrative leader and scholar, Joan has earned a national reputation for her leadership in curricular development, assessment, and best practices for managing study abroad programs that focus on the quality of students’ learning and intercultural experiences,” said ACM President Christopher Welna in announcing the appointment.
Joan Gillespie
Gillespie will begin at ACM on July 16, succeeding Carol Dickerman, who is retiring after leading ACM’s portfolio of international programs since 2008. Prior to this position Gillespie served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Assessment and Program Dean at IES Abroad where she also helped to develop and implement assessment guidelines for programs.
“Joan’s roots are in the liberal arts college world, having earned her B.A. at Vassar College,” Welna noted, “and her expertise is well suited to work with our colleagues on the ACM campuses to provide distinctive off-campus programs that serve the evolving interests and needs of liberal arts students.”
Gillespie will supervise all aspects of the operation and curriculum of ACM’s off-campus study programs, from recruiting faculty and staff, to logistics and budgets, to reviewing program learning goals and effectiveness. She also will collaborate with consortial and college leaders to develop and shape ACM’s future initiatives in off-campus study.
“In my years in international education, I always have admired the opportunities for undergraduate research and academic immersion with the ACM off-campus programs,” Gillespie said. “Now I look forward to working with site directors and campus administrators and faculty to engage students with learning in new environments.”
Gillespie is Chair of the Undergraduate Research Guidelines Working Group of the Forum on Education Abroad Standards Committee and has presented widely on academic standards, student learning, and developing overseas programs.
She holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Northwestern University, where she teaches a course on comparative higher education and global change in the M.A. program in Higher Education Administration. Gillespie has authored numerous articles on topics related to off-campus study, including student learning and assessment, designing student research, academic integrity and ethics, internships, and career development.
ACM operates 13 off-campus study programs in Africa (Botswana and Tanzania), Asia (India), Europe (Italy and the U.K.), Latin America (Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico), and the U.S., and will begin a new program in Jordan in fall 2013.
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