Dr. Mary Chinery, a long time professor of English and assistant provost in Georgian Court University, Lakewood, has been appointed the university’s new dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Her appointment, which comes after a national search to replace retiring dean, Dr. Rita Kipp, is effective July 1.

“Dr. Chinery brings to the job a wealth of experience from her work with faculty and students and her leadership in the classrooms and as a former department chair to her numerous collaborations with the campus community on university-wide projects,” said GCU provost Dr. William J. Behre.

“The School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the entire university, will benefit from her deep knowledge in such areas as in online learning, higher education partnerships, academic programming, accreditation planning, and curriculum development,” he said.

Dr. Chinery completed her undergraduate work in English and religious studies at Georgian Court in 1986. She holds a master of arts degree in English from Northeastern University, Boston, and a doctorate  in English from Drew University, Madison, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

She joined Georgian Court as an instructor in 1989 and has served in many roles. She formerly chaired the Department of English and Communications, led the humanities program (now interdisciplinary studies), and was an associate dean for the School of Arts and Sciences before being named assistant provost in 2010. In addition, she served as co-chair of the campus task force that recommended and implemented GCU’s 2012 shift to full coeducation, following more than 100 years of being primarily known as a women’s college.

“It is an exciting time in the history of the university, and I look forward to working with the faculty and students as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences,” said Dr. Chinery. “Georgian Court really excels in the transformative power of education, from which I benefited myself. The values of the Sisters of Mercy, combined with tremendous faculty expertise, prepares students to make a real difference in the world.”

Dr. Chinery, often involved in strategic planning and directives, has been an integral part of GCU’s exhaustive periodic review reporting and critical preparations for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the chief accrediting body for the university. In 2012, she led the faculty’s full-scale push to adopt iPads in their teaching, and is GCU’s lead coordinator with the Learning House, the university’s partner for creating and delivering online degree programs to students throughout the United States.

Most recently, she has worked closely with new faculty and with those approaching third-year review as part of the tenure process. Dr. Chinery is also the chair of the university’s year-long policy review project, which requires a re-examination of all institutional policies.

Her research area is in American literature, and she has published works on Willa Cather, including “Carnival in the Novels of Willa Cather: When the World Becomes Grotesque (2011).”