Andrea Adolph has accepted the position of director of academic affairs at Penn State New Kensington, replacing Arlene Hall, who retires this summer.
Adolph is currently associate professor of English and coordinator of service-learning at Kent State University of Stark in North Canton, Ohio. Her work there has involved academic planning and program development. She also brings from that position knowledge of accreditation and assessment processes and experience in budget and labor oversight.
“I think one of the things I am really excited about is this job rolls together all the things I’ve done so far in my administrative life,” Adolph said. “So many aspects of the job really speak to the things I like to do so much. I think that part of what makes it really interesting to me is it’s a lot of different kinds of work. It’s an eclectic mix of skills and tasks.”
In her new role on the campus’s senior management team, Adolph will be responsible for areas such as faculty recruitment, academic planning and program development. She will lead faculty in community outreach and efforts to secure funding to support academic programs. Student activities such as study-abroad, internships and service-learning opportunities will also fall under her supervision.
Adolph holds a doctorate in English literature from Louisiana State University. While at Kent State University of Stark, she served as a member of Kent State University’s Faculty Professional Development Center, received the Ohio Campus Compact’s David Hoch Memorial Award for Excellence in Service and created the Service Scholars program.
In addition to service-learning, a form of experiential education which takes the lessons of the classroom out into the community to give students hands-on learning experience, Adolph includes public education and higher education as two of her main interests.
“Those are passions for me,” she said. “I’d like to see how these passions can be fulfilled for me in this job.”
Adolph is looking forward to joining the Penn State New Kensington campus. She also is excited to work with Chancellor Kevin Snider and be a part of the plans he has for the campus.
“I can tell the campus is full of a lot of people who do a lot of hard, good work, and I appreciate that, because that’s what it takes to make a successful campus, especially (on a) smaller campus.”
Adolph is also looking forward to exploring Pittsburgh and the Alle-Kiski Valley, in which the Penn State New Kensington campus is located. She said she finds the Alle-Kiski Valley quite beautiful.
“I like the fact that the valley is out of the city enough that you can have your own little place,” she said.
Adolph and her daughter, Ella, 7, will reside in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison Township.