(3/12) Mount St. Mary’s University President Thomas H. Powell and the Board of Trustees announce that effective July 1, 2009, Mount St. Mary’s University will implement an academic reorganization creating four new schools within the university, each with its own dean.

The rebirth of the university in this way refocuses and re-energizes faculty, staff, students and administrators on the start of its third century as educators.

The reorganization streamlines the levels of responsibility and aids the administration and faculty- offering more efficient and effective service which will enhance the students' educational experience. The deans of the different schools will be more available to focus on their various departmental needs while the Vice President of Academic Affairs, David Rehm, Ph.D. and Dean of Academic Affairs, Leona Sevick, Ph.D. will concentrate on the university and global needs of the campus.

The new schools include the College of Liberal Arts, School of Business and Leadership, School of Education and Human Services and School of Science.

The College of Liberal Arts encompasses all humanities and social sciences as well as the Mount's core curriculum and will be led by Joshua P. Hochschild, Ph.D. Dean Hochschild is currently Director of the Master's Degree Program in Philosophical Studies and says, "I was drawn to the Mount because of its award-winning core curriculum and its community of dedicated teachers. The new position as Dean of the Liberal Arts College is an opportunity to serve the Mount’s Catholic liberal arts mission."

The School of Business and Leadership will focus on business management, accounting, economics, marketing and sports management. William G. Forgang, Ph.D., professor and current chair of the department, has been named Dean. "The re-designation from a Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics to the School of Business and Leadership reflects the academic strengths and complexity of our undergraduate and graduate degree programs," explains Dean Forgang. "It challenges the faculty and staff to engage more actively with the regional business community. We hope to develop new degree and non- degree programs designed in collaboration with area employers to meet the area’s workforce needs."

The School of Education and Human Services will guide education majors and prepare them to be fully accredited teachers or members of school administrations. Dean of the school is Barbara Martin Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of education and chair of the education department since 2004. "It is a distinct honor to be named Dean of the School of Education and Human Services," says Dean Palmer. We envision a School responsive to changing needs, one that will be recognized for creating innovative programs in teacher education, leadership and human services rooted in the university’s Catholic liberal arts mission. One of our first tasks will be to develop a B.S. degree program in Human Services."

Dean of the School of Science is former Mount Science Professor, David W. Bushman, Ph.D. Dr. Bushman, currently president of Lees-McRae College in North Carolina believes it’s an exciting time to return to the Mount. "I am honored to join the university as it expands a strong commitment to excellence in math and science. By tradition and proximity to extraordinary resources…the Mount is well positioned to take a leadership role and the new School of Science is a very public commitment to making that vision a reality."

Along with their standard duties, the newly appointed deans are expected to reach out to community organizations on behalf of the university.

The academic restructure at Mount St. Mary’s University is the first facet in its revolutionary Third Century Plan for Excellence. The Mount has been named one of the most "Faithful and Affordable" Catholic colleges in the country in the Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College published by the Cardinal Newman Society.