View Profile | Email Dr. Mary McDonald
What do you enjoy most about your work in higher education?
Dr. Mary McDonald: Over the course of my 22 years of experience in higher education, I have had many unique opportunities, which ignited my passion for teaching and administration. What I enjoy most about teaching in higher education is supporting students in their educational journey and personal growth. The moment when I see a struggling student have an “ah ha” moment or a successful student take their learning to the next level, makes me smile and remember why I love doing what I do. Anything I can do to help them achieve their own personal goals makes me not only happy for their success but also more prepared and excited to help the next student as an administrator.
How does your experience shape the way you manage people and university students?
All of my experiences have shaped the way I manage people and university students. I have had the opportunity to work with some extraordinary leaders and some not so extraordinary leaders. Throughout my career, I have taken note of the leaders I wanted to strive to be like. These leaders all had a common theme, which was servant and participatory leadership. I manage people through a participatory leadership style. I like to engage and empower employees to interact and collaborate to improve not only our student journey, but also our roles as educators in the 21st century. I use a servant leadership style to manage university students. My goal as an educator is to serve and identify student needs to help them achieve their educational and professional dreams.
As the new CAO, what are your main responsibilities?
My role as the Chief Academic Officer is to direct and oversee academic program, lead policy and procedure development in student learning, faculty training/development, and to ensure the overall academic quality and student experience at AAUN.
How do you plan to improve the goals of Aston American University?
As I dive deeper into the role and have a more clear understanding of the current processes and procedures, my plan will be to work with faculty, staff, and students to further understand the educational experience and what areas work well, and opportunities to enhance the student experiences through support, resources, and guidance. Not only do we want to provide opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds to begin their educational journey, but also provide the resources and guidance to complete it and be successful outside of the educational world.
What can students expect in the coming months with your expertise?
I love data. What does this mean? I will be looking at the University data, resources, and curriculum to determine what areas may need improvement or enhancement to wrap around their learning experience. I will be engaging and interacting with faculty to understand their perspective and what, we as a team, can do to further engage and support students in their quest to receive their degrees. In addition, I will be looking at student policies and procedures to ensure they align with best practice in higher education.
What is your personal message to students?
We are in this together. Your learning is a journey that should be cherished and valued. I am here to support you and faculty as we help you meet your educational dreams. As a faculty member, I see my responsibility to share and teach you the things I know, with respect to the subject matter, persuade you to share to the best of your abilities what you know, and promote all of us to explore new territories. As an administrator, I want to engage students in the continual improvement process. Never be afraid to reach out to me and share your experiences, ask for guidance, or just talk about your goals. I have an open door policy and look forward to engaging with you all.
