Date: March 30, 2006
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Appoints Three Academic Administrators

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central announces the recent creation of three academic administrative positions that will provide key academic leadership to the University. These positions become effective on July 1.

The three new positions are:

Dr. Silvia G. Dapía Interim Dean of the Division of Liberal Arts

Dean of the Division of Liberal Arts - Dr. Silvia G. Dapía, professor of Foreign Languages, has been appointed as interim dean. In this new position Dapía will provide academic leadership for the departments of Communication, English and Modern Languages, and Social Science.

Dapía was granted bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina and her Ph.D. summa cum laude from the Universität zu Köln in Germany. Since joining PNC in 1991, she has received excellent teaching evaluations, has participated in a variety of learning activities such as chairing the PNC Faculty Research Series, has worked to help develop dual credit agreements with area high schools and has maintained an active research agenda that earned her an international reputation as a scholar of Latin American and German literature and culture. Her discovery activities have brought invitations to present at international conferences in Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Argentina and United Kingdom. Her publications focus on Argentine writer Jorge Luís Borges and German philosopher Fritz Mauthner.

Dapía has served on administrative committees, has been active in developing academic programs, has been a mentor for tenure-track faculty and has been involved in developing articulation agreements with area colleges. As chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages, she has been instrumental in moving the department forward, has increased support for the department support, has strengthened the composition program and has worked with the department faculty to develop new academic programming initiatives.

Dr. Keith E. Schwingendorf Interim Dean of the Division of Science and Mathematic

Dean of the Division of Science and Mathematics - Dr. Keith E. Schwingendorf, professor of Mathematics, has been appointed as interim dean. Schwingendorf earned his bachelors of science, master of science and Ph.D. degrees in mathematics from Purdue University. He has served the Purdue University system for more than 35 years, coming to PNC in 1991.

In this position Schwingendorf will provide academic leadership for the Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics Department and the Biology and Chemistry Department. Schwingendorf has received several awards for teaching excellence. He is an elected member of four academic honor societies and has served on numerous Purdue doctoral dissertation committees. An active faculty advisor for individual students and student organizations and he has served as a mentor for tenure-track faculty. He has been active in campus leadership roles, search committees, governance and student activities while maintaining a mathematics research agenda. His work as a scholar has resulted in invitations to present at conferences and lead workshops throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. He has served as a board member of the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics and as consultant for National Science Foundation research projects. Active in engagement activities and sponsored research, he has been principle investigator or co-principle investigator for more than $1.3 million in grants. As chair of the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics he has been an advocate for the faculty, provided leadership in faculty recruitment and has been responsible for managing service courses that form essential parts of the general education requirements and various degree programs.

Dr. Richard A. Hengst Coordinator of Graduate Studies

Coordinator of Graduate Studies - Dr. Richard A. Hengst, professor of Biology and department chair, will serve in this capacity. Hengst will be the campus representative to the Graduate Council in West Lafayette and will facilitate communication between the Graduate Council and PNC, communicate graduate studies policies to the various PNC academic units, assist PNC faculty with the development of new graduate programs and work with the departments offering graduate programs to ensure the adherence to Graduate School policies within PNC graduate programs.

Hengst earned his bachelor of science from Western Illinois University and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. He has been honored with awards for outstanding teaching on three separate occasions, and received an outstanding research award from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. His research findings have been presented at professional conferences in the United Kingdom, Italy and at various universities in the United States. In the mid-1990s he pioneered the use of internet technology to link scientists at field work sites directly with students in classrooms in the United States and Argentina. Hengst has worked with the Graduate School for some time, serving during the past year as PNC’s liaison to the Graduate Council.

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Photos can be found at http://www.pnc.edu/cd/news/newdeans.html.