Stephanie McGowan, a Seton Hall alumna and experienced educator, has been appointed the new associate dean for assessment and accreditation for the College of Education and Human Services.
Dr. McGowan has a long history with the University. She received a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s in education, and an educational specialist degree in educational administration from Seton Hall, though receiving her Doctor of Education degree from Fordham University.
“While an undergraduate student, I was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority (Epsilon Class) and competed on the Brownson Speech and Debate team,” Dr. McGowan said. After graduation, she chose to stay close to home, going on to become a middle school English teacher then principal in two different Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark.
Dr. McGowan’s appointment comes just in time for Seton Hall’s first review by the recently established Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), set for fall 2016. She is more than up to the task, stating that she “looks forward to lending (her) expertise in national accreditation” to help improve the CEHS.
Besides serving as an English teacher and principal at various New Jersey schools, Dr. McGowan said she “moved into higher education as a research assistant examining best practices in early childhood classrooms under a grant at William Paterson University.” She spent ten years at William Paterson and served on two national accreditation leadership teams for the College of Education as the Director of Education Enrollment and Certification there.
“I then went on to serve as the director of the Master of Arts in the Teaching Program at Drew University and lead that program to receive their first national accreditation,” she said.
Several factors contributed to Dr. McGowan’s return to Seton Hall. Besides wanting to help the University prepare for its examination by the Accreditation Council, she has found the university’s environment to be conducive to progress and improvement. “The College of Education and Human Services has an engaged faculty and motivated students,” she said, “which makes being a part of the team here very desirable.”
Outside the area of teacher preparation and accreditation, Dr. McGowan has previously served as a board member for the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). She is currently the second Vice President for the Candle Lighters, which is a fundraising organization for the ARC of Essex County, co-chair for the Special Education Parent Advisory Council in her community, a member of the Fraternal Order of Elks, a teacher of religious formation for her church and a Co-Leader for a Girl Scout troop. She is an avid New York Mets, Jets, Rangers and, of course, Pirates fan. She has two seven-year-old twins with her husband, Jeff McGowan.
Though she has certainly branched out in her professional career, Dr. McGowan said she is proud to be “a Pirate, through and through.”
Noora Badwan can be reached at noora.badwan@student.shu.edu.
