UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ann C. Clements, director of Penn State’s Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design (C-PAD) and a professor of music education, has been named the University’s assistant vice provost for faculty affairs-faculty development. Clements will begin her appointment on Feb. 15.
In her new role, Clements will serve in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and lead strategic efforts to expand and reconceptualize programs and services related to the professional and leadership development of more than 6,400 full-time faculty across the University.
With a career spanning two decades in higher education as an administrator and faculty member, Clements has wide-ranging experience that will inform her work in faculty affairs. In addition to her leadership of C-PAD since 2017, Clements has taught music education at Penn State since 2003 and served on the University Faculty Senate since 2013.
“I am very pleased to be welcoming Ann as our assistant vice provost for faculty affairs-faculty development,” said Kathleen Bieschke, Penn State’s vice provost for faculty affairs. “She brings with her ample experience leading, supporting and collaborating with faculty and in cross-disciplinary pedagogy. Ann also understands the opportunities and challenges facing today’s educators, and she is committed to addressing the needs and goals of faculty and academic leaders throughout the University.”
Clements will develop and implement a strategic vision for faculty development and provide leadership in programming that supports faculty from recruitment to retirement.
In collaboration with campuses and colleges, she will be responsible for creating, managing and delivering a range of programming to enhance faculty and academic leadership excellence at Penn State. She also will be responsible for evaluation of program effectiveness and for periodically assessing tenure-line and non-tenure-line faculty and leadership development needs University-wide. Areas of emphasis likely will include new faculty onboarding, implementing a University-wide mentoring program, training new administrators, and enhancing the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty.
Clements also will collaborate with faculty and administrators across Penn State, in addition to networking with colleagues at peer institutions and the Big Ten Academic Alliance to identify and implement best practices for faculty-development programming.
“I am excited to serve as Penn State’s assistant vice provost for faculty affairs-faculty development,” Clements said. “My work will supplement the efforts of Kathy Bieschke and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs to foster and implement institutional support, professional development and care for our faculty, who are engaging in vital teaching, research and service endeavors.”
As director of C-PAD, a cross-disciplinary center whose goal is to advance arts and design pedagogies, research, and professional development applicable to learning and teaching in all disciplines, Clements has developed and run new faculty orientation and mentoring programs within the College of Arts and Architecture; faculty professional development opportunities; faculty Innovators and Discovery Grants programs; and certification programs such as the weeklong C-PAD Academy.
An active researcher in her field, Clements has given nearly 200 presentations worldwide. She has authored articles for many publications, including the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal for Music Education and General Music Today. Clements also is the author, co-author and editor of several books in the field of music education, including "The Field Guide to Student Teaching in Music," "Popular Music Pedagogies: A Guide for Music Teachers," "Alternative Approaches to Music Education: Case Studies from the Field," "Teaching General Music" and "Multicultural Perspective in Music Education."
Throughout her career, Clements has been recognized with various honors, including the 2018 Teaching and Learning with Technology Impact Award, which celebrates the accomplishments of Penn State faculty whose work transforms education through the use of technology. In 2015, she was the inaugural winner of the Penn State Open Innovation Challenge for the idea of building a machine-learning-based, virtual-reality program for pre-service teachers.
Clements is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Society for Music Education, National Association for Music Education, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, Society for Ethnomusicology, and Society for Research in Music Education.
Clements earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, before going on to attain a master of arts degree in music education and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Washington.