Beaver

McDougall named Penn State Beaver chancellor, chief academic officer

Carey McDougall serves as chancellor and chief academic officer of Penn State Beaver. Credit: Cathy Benscoter / Penn State Beaver. All Rights Reserved.

MONACA, Pa. — Carey McDougall has been named as the new chancellor and chief academic officer of Penn State Beaver.

McDougall has been serving as the campus' interim chancellor since July 1. Before her role as interim chancellor, McDougall had been the director of academic affairs since 2014.

McDougall previously served as interim chancellor and chief academic officer in 2016 during a leadership transition at the campus. In 2023 she served as interim associate dean of faculty affairs for the University College, supporting the dean of faculty affairs in all promotion and tenure processes.

“Carey’s tenure as interim chancellor clearly showed her leadership abilities and capacity to not only connect with the campus community, but to also navigate the challenges that come along with this role,” said Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. “Her commitment to Penn State, her strategic vision and her ability to inspire collaboration are evident in every aspect of campus life. Carey’s appointment as the permanent leader of Penn State Beaver underscores our confidence in her exceptional abilities.”

During her time at Penn State Beaver, McDougall has brought five additional degrees to the campus to align enrollment with industry growth and the changing career interests of prospective students both regionally and nationally. She has led advanced initiatives for the campus strategic plan to make student success goals pillars of the plan and to thread a diversity, equity and inclusion lens into the entire strategic plan.

McDougall also designed and ran the campus’ first Campus Advisory Board Academic Excellence Mentoring Program to support students who would benefit from enriched career pathways.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to lead the campus into its next phase of excellence,” McDougall said. “With a focus on recruitment, retention and community impact, Penn State Beaver is poised to be an even stronger cultural and economic driver in the county and the commonwealth. And I’m grateful for all the relationships we have within the campus, with other campuses and with community members that will serve as the foundation for this time of growth.”

In 2022-23, McDougall served on the Joint Task Force on Teaching Assessment Peer Review Subcommittee for the University. At the Commonwealth Campuses she chaired the University College Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures Review Committee in 2020-21 and co-chaired the University College Faculty Workload Task Force in 2021-22.

In the local community, McDougall serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development, for which she developed and led initiatives to diversify the board. She also serves as the chair of the Beaver Borough Planning Commission.

Before coming to Penn State Beaver, she was an associate professor of art at Kent State University Stark campus where she co-chaired the University’s Academic Affairs Strategic Planning Committee, served as a provost fellow, received the campus’ Distinguished Teaching Award and was active in the Ohio Women’s Network with the American Council of Education Inclusive Excellence Group.

McDougall earned a mathematics bachelor of arts degree from Oberlin College and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Connecticut.

Last Updated April 12, 2024