UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Abington Chancellor Damian J. Fernandez recently announced the appointment of Andrew August as the associate dean for academic affairs following a national search that yielded a deep pool of candidates.
A professor of history at Abington, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. August’s area of expertise focuses on modern Britain and European History.
As associate dean for academic affairs at Abington, August serves as chief academic officer and is charged with budgeting and planning for the college’s three academic divisions; advising; instructional and learning support including the library; and academic enhancements such as the international program and undergraduate research.
Penn State Abington (PSA): What changes have you seen at Abington since you arrived in 1995?
August: We’ve grown up a lot since we first began awarding bachelor’s degrees in the 1990s. We are more self-confident about who we are and what we do — we are now the first-choice campus for many students. Faculty are excited and embracing the new vision and mission Chancellor Fernandez has developed during the past 18 months — to provide access to a high-impact education to students of all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
We enroll students from incredibly diverse backgrounds, meet them where they are, and support them as they work to earn a Penn State degree. We are embracing a different way of thinking about students, where they come from, and what they need. It’s a more mature approach. We’ve grown up, we’re happy with what we’ve become, and it’s allowed us to get a clearer perspective on our important work.