campus news and events

Colby-Sawyer College Appoints New Department Chairs

Three academic departments at Colby-Sawyer College will have new chairs when the fall semester begins. Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah A. Taylor, Ph.D., has appointed Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences Jean Eckrich, Ph.D., as chair of the Exercise and Sport Sciences Department and Associate Professor of Humanities Melissa Meade, Ph.D., as chair of the Humanities Department. Martin Green, Ph.D., will join the college as an associate professor and chair the Business Administration Department.

“I am confident that these chairs' work and counsel will advance the priorities of the academic area and the college as a whole, and I welcome their addition to an already talented and experienced academic leadership group,” says Vice President Taylor. “In the challenging and rapidly changing environment of higher education, shared information, perspectives and governance are critical requirements for progress.”

Professor Eckrich served as chair of the Exercise and Sports Science Department when she joined Colby-Sawyer in 1995 and in her two decades as a faculty member has demonstrated relentless commitment to the college. Among the many initiatives with which she has been involved, Professor Eckrich led the Undergraduate Research Task Force to establish the annual Susan Colby Colgate Scholars' Symposium and was instrumental in implementing an orientation program for new faculty. She also directs the college's Teaching Enrichment Center, which she founded in 2009. Professor Eckrich was named the David H. Winton Endowed Teaching Chair in 2012 and was recognized for her teaching and leadership with the Nancy Beyer Opler '56 Award for Excellence in Advising during Commencement on May 9.

Professor Eckrich holds a B.S. from the University of Delaware, an M.S. from the University of Wyoming and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. She is a resident of Hopkinton, N.H.

Professor Meade came to Colby-Sawyer in 2004. Her teaching and research interests include media history, law and culture, and feminist media studies, and her courses are known for lively discussions. Professor Meade was a member of the Steering Committee that organized What Women Want Now: The New Hampshire Women's Caucus, held at Colby-Sawyer in November 2011; she was recognized for that work with the 2012 Gown Award.

Professor Meade's projects outside the classroom are many: she is a research associate for the Radio Preservation Task Force at the Library of Congress, an active member of the Feminist Technology Network and a member of the Legacy Council for the Third Wave Fund.

Professor Meade is a resident of Newbury, N.H. She holds a B.A. from Purdue University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington, as well as a graduate certificate in women's studies.

Professor Green brings nearly three decades of teaching and administrative experience in higher education to Colby-Sawyer. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in business administration at Keene State College and the University of Virginia as well as at Franklin Pierce University, where he served as interim director of the M.B.A. program. His leadership skills were honed in a number of positions that include director of the Adult and Continuing Education Program at Averett College and program manager for the National Association of College University Business Officers in Washington, D.C.

Professor Green holds a B.S. at the University of Maine at Machias, an M.B.A. from the George Washington University School of Business and a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a resident of Sunapee, N.H.

- Jaclyn Goddette '16

Jaclyn Goddette is an intern with Colby-Sawyer's Office of College Communications.


About Colby-Sawyer College

Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. The College's faculty, staff and students strive for excellence in an engaged teaching and learning community that fosters students' academic, intellectual, and personal growth. With a strong emphasis on learning outcomes, including breadth and depth of knowledge, self-growth, creative and critical thinking, and effective communication, Colby-Sawyer prepares students to thrive post-graduation and make a positive impact upon a dynamic, diverse, and interdependent world.

Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Learn more about the College's vibrant teaching and learning community at www.colby-sawyer.edu.