Fairfield communications professor Robbin Crabtree said the classroom has always been her home.
But Crabtree, also director of the office of service learning, is onto bigger and better things.
Crabtree will continue her distinguished career at Fairfield as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences after returning from a sabbatical. She will begin her new position on Aug. 1, 2008.
“There is no doubt that I will miss being in the classroom,” Crabtree said in a recent press release. “However, I am confident that I will find new ways to interact with our great students; after all, creating an outstanding learning experience for and with them is what it’s all about.”
Crabtree is currently out of the country and was unavailable for comment.
She replaces Timothy Law Snyder who left Fairfield on July 1, 2007, to serve as vice president for academic affairs at Loyola College in Maryland. Raymond Poincelot, professor of biology, is serving as interim dean for the 2007-2008 academic year.
After making the announcement earlier this month, University President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., said, “Robbin is an accomplished scholar and award-winning teacher who has experience both in higher education and non-profit administration. She is a collaborator and a consensus builder with a strong record of leadership here at Fairfield.
“All this, in addition to her commitment to diversity and the social justice mission for this institution, makes her the ideal person for this post.”
Crabtree has made notable contributions to the University since she came to Fairfield in 2001 from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She was chair of the department of communications at Fairfield from 2001 until August 2007, when she was named director of the newly established office for service learning in the Center for Faith and Public Life.
She served as chair of the faculty for the College of Arts and Sciences from 2003-2006. Crabtree was recently named “Teacher of the Year” by Fairfield’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society. She has published more than 40 scholarly articles and chapters and presented papers at the meetings of various academic societies.
Brett Williams ’08, a former student of Crabtree’s, described her as one of her favorite professors.
“She always pushes her students to achieve their highest potential by fostering an open and inviting classroom environment,” Williams said.
Academic Vice President Orin Grossman, who chaired the search committee for the new dean, said that Crabtree’s background as a department chair, leadership in starting a service learning division, and excellence as a teacher and scholar were what collectively set her apart from other candidates.
Crabtree brings the ability to collaborate with other University deans in many joint initiatives, said Grossman.
She will be working on projects that include developing a college-wide vision that flows from the strategic planning being led by von Arx, collaborating on a better advising model and allocating new faculty positions.
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