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Meredith College Alumna Jo Allen,
Ph.D. Named New President
Melyssa Allen,
Marketing News Director
Meredith College alumna
Jo Allen, Ph.D., a member of
Meredith’s Class of 1980, has been
named the eighth president of
Meredith College, effective July 1,
2011.
Allen is the first Meredith
College alumna to assume the
leadership in the 120-year history
of the College.
Allen replaces retiring
president Maureen A. Hartford,
who became the first female presi
dent of Meredith when she was
selected by the College Board of
Trustees 12 years ago.
Sam E. Ewell, Jr., chair of
the College’s Board of Trustees,
made the announcement in Jones
Auditorium on Monday, April 18
to a full house that included fac
ulty and staff members, students,
alumnae and guests from the com
munity.
A North Carolina native,
Allen earned her master’s degree
from East Carolina University
and her doctorate from Oklahoma
State University in Stillwater, Okla.
She has served as tenured associ
ate professor of English at East
Carolina University and tenured
associate professor at North Caro
lina State University.
In addition to her duties as
a faculty member, Allen has served
in a
“If the last two decades
of the 20th century were
Dr. Jo Allen, photo credit: Meredith College / Gary Knight
about ^women’s ways of
knowing/ the first two de
cades of the 21st century
are clearly about ^omen^s
ways of leading/
-Dr, Jo Allen
number
of lead
ership
posi
tions at
the uni
versities
where
she
taught,
includ
ing special assistant to the dean
and vice chancellor, as assistant
dean and interim vice provost.
She is currently senior vice
president, provost and professor
of English at Widener University,
Chester, Pa., where she oversees
academic and student affairs at
Widener’s main campus in Chester
and for satellite campuses in Har
risburg and Exton, Pa., and Wilm
ington, Del.
“It’s both an honor and a
privilege to be selected as the next
president of Meredith College,” Allen
said. “This is the position I’ve as
pired to and prepared for my entire
career. As an alumna, I know first
hand that Meredith is a special place,
one that for more than
a century has produced
women leaders who
have made their mark
in education, business,
government and, per
haps most importantly,
with their families and
communities.
The announcement
event began with an in
vocation from Captain
C. C. Wiggins, ’76, who asked for
a moment of silence to remember
those who were injured or killed by
severe weather, including a number
of tornadoes that swept through
North Carolina two days earlier.
Current Meredith President Mau
reen Hartford then spoke about her
tenure as president and welcomed
the newly appointed president-elect.
Former Board of Trustee
Chair Elizabeth Triplett Beam, ’72,
chair of the presidential search com
mittee outlined the search process
the Board had undertaken to select
the new president. She thanked all
of those members of the Meredith
community who had been involved
in the process that led to Allen’s
selection.
Following an introduction
by Board of Trustees Chair Sam
Ewell, Allen recounted her time as
a student at Meredith, praising the
College for putting her on the path to
become both an educator and leader.
“If the last two decades of the
20th century were about ‘women’s
ways of knowing,’ the first two de
cades of the 21st century are clearly
about ‘women’s ways of leading.’
We have the skills, knowledge and
passion to help solve many of the
challenges currently facing our
country while providing an unpar
alleled academic experience for our
students,” Allen said.
“My predecessors, including
Dr. Hartford, have helped expand
Meredith’s focus and strengthen
her reputation as one of the pre
mier centers of higher education in
the nation,” Allen said. “I pledge to
continue that legacy with all the en
ergy and enthusiasm I can muster.
“Obviously a number of
things have changed at Meredith
since I was a student here,” Allen
said, “but the core of what makes
this College so special has not. I
must say that it’s good to be coming
home.”
Allen was then welcomed by
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Tim Hendrix, chdir of the Faculty
Council, Donna Knott, chair of the
Staff Affairs Committee and SGA
President Anna Beavon Gravely, ’11,
who presented Allen with copies of
- the Meredith College history.
The event concluded with
the singing of the Meredith College
alma mater.
Following the announce
ment, Allen and Hartford met with
members of the College community
at a reception in the rotunda of
Johnson Hall.
“Dr. Allen is a believer in
what Meredith is all about,” Ewell
said, “and the fact that she’s also
an alumna was icing on the cake.
In short, she is the ideal choice to
shepherd Meredith College into the
future.”
N THIS ISSUI
Meredith College Alumna Jo Allen, Ph.D. Named New
President
Excerpts from Sam Ewell’s and Dr. Jo Allen’s Remarks
Remarks from Faculty, Staff and Students
Past Meredith College Presidents
The Presidential Search Committee