Massasoit Community College Welcomes Dr. Barbara W. McCarthy

January 15, 2015 – Brockton, MA – Massasoit Community College announces the appointment of Dr. Barbara W. McCarthy to the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs (Chief Academic Officer). Dr. McCarthy has seventeen years of service to community colleges, most recently as Chief Academic Officer at Asnuntuck Community College. As Chief Academic Officer at Asnuntuck Community College she led academic programs and support services, strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, accreditation activities and governance review. During her tenure, the Early Childhood Education program earned NAEYC accreditation, STEM offerings were expanded and enrollments increased by 50%, and developmental curricula in mathematics and writing were significantly redesigned. CCSSE scores increased in all categories. She guided the growth of distance learning offerings, pedagogy, and enrollments. She was a member of the Executive Board of the Literacy Volunteers of America of Northern Connecticut and oversaw the development and state approval of a 2+2 partnership with Albertus Magnus College. She has led and served on state-wide committees charged with improving transfer, developmental education, professional development, and assessment in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Previous positions include a decade of service at Massachusetts Bay Community College as Dean of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment; Dean for Humanities, Business, and Social Science; Associate Dean for Humanities; and Associate Dean for Writing and Literature.  Prior to becoming an academic administrator, McCarthy was a Professor of English and taught a range of writing and literature courses. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a doctorate in Composition and Cultural Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Reporting directly to the College President, Dr. McCarthy will supervise the hiring, evaluation, and tenure recommendations of faculty, the hiring and evaluation of academic professional staffing in the division pursuant to the MCCC/MTA and AFSCME contracts and Non-Unit Professionals Personnel Policies Handbook, and lead the accreditation and strategic planning processes.  In addition, Dr. McCarthy will have primary leadership responsibility for planning, implementing, and evaluating the College’s education programs, and carrying out other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the College President.