University Communications

Kathleen Carter, Ed.D., has joined Immaculata University as an associate professor of organization studies and the coordinator of Immaculata´s new doctoral program in higher education. She is teaching Introduction to Higher Education, the foundational course in the historical roots of higher education in America, and in the spring she will be teaching Change and Innovation in Higher Education, a study of organization dynamics and ways to effect change.
Immaculata´s new Ed.D. in Higher Education Program "recognizes the need for mid-level managers to understand the breadth and scope of all facets of higher education in order to manage and lead effectively," says Dr. Carter. "I like this program because it is a hybrid model, cohort-based program and is in [the Department of Organization Leadership,] a department outside of education. Students meet face-to-face every other week during the semester, with online assignments during alternate weeks, and the same group works together for the three years of course work leading to the dissertation, which is completed in the fourth year. The program is for working practitioners in the various fields of higher education and it is tailored to fit their many responsibilities. There are credit-earning opportunities for independent study and for a practicum experience to further their understanding of the path they choose and to network with others in similar positions. There are several elective opportunities in the program: academic, student services, administration and finance, and teaching.
"Our first cohort is a wonderful blend of all of the areas of higher education: administrators from all departments of a college or university and teachers in community colleges and four-year colleges."
Before coming to Immaculata, Dr. Carter was the vice president for academic affairs at Burlington County Community College in Pemberton, N.J., where she managed academic program development, student outcomes assessment, faculty, libraries, e-learning, fiscal performance, and grants. She has also worked in academic affairs administration at other colleges, and she has served as the Camden County College dean of business, computers, and technical studies. Her teaching experience includes working as an associate professor of education at Delaware State University and as an instructor and assistant professor in Temple University´s College of Education.
Dr. Carter earned her Ed.D. from Temple University, and she did her post-doctoral study in special education at Delaware State University. She holds teaching certifications in cooperative education, adult basic education, and business education.
Dr. Carter has been awarded numerous grants for a variety of research, including remediation support services, vocational education in technology, business and industry support services, general education, business training centers, and workplace literacy. She has published articles on teacher training and multiple intelligence theory, career decision-making, career fairs, and pedagogy. She has given presentations on active learning strategies, integrating technology into teaching, distance learning, and cooperative learning for adult students.
"I am excited about this opportunity because of my background in higher education—25 years of college teaching and senior-level academic administration in two-year and four-year colleges and universities, both public and private," comments Dr. Carter.
Immaculata University is a residential, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher education, located on the Main Line between Malvern and Exton, 20 miles west of Philadelphia.