Academic Innovation Team

The Academic Innovation Team (AIT) is responsible for year-round review of the higher education environment, producing and reviewing proposals for academic program development, encouraging and supporting proposals for academic innovation from the community, and recommending to Senior Administration and the President programs for investment and development.

AIT’s members include:

  • Lynne Bongiovanni, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • Jim Burkee, Ph.D., Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Professor of Humanities (Chair)
  • Sr. Eileen Fagan, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies
  • Sr. Carol Finegan, Director of Strategic Initiative Effectiveness and Assistant to the VPSI
  • Rob Jacklosky, Ph.D., Professor of English
  • Gail Lavin Murphy, Director of Clinical Medical Education
  • Madeleine Melkonian, Senior Vice President for Admission and External Relations
  • Leah Munch, Director for Public Relations, Marketing, and Program Development
  • Amir Niknejad, Ph.D., Sisters of Charity 200th Anniversary Associate Professor of Mathematics
  • Julia Zichello, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

AIT will meet each week to conduct landscape analysis, to review and generate program development proposals and to receive updates, and to move the program development process forward. Utilizing a formal application and proposal process, the AIT will assist in development and review program ideas and proposals from three areas:

  • Itself
    The team will generate its own program proposals, developed from its own landscape research;
  • Internal Constituents
    The team will encourage and receive ideas and proposals from several internal constituent groups, including Trustees, academic departments, staff and departments, students, individual faculty, and even the Sisters of Charity;
  • External Constituents
    The team will receive ideas and proposals from external constituents, including existing and prospective partners, vendors, and government entities.

Upon review and approval by the Program Development Team, proposals will go to the Faculty Senate and Senior Administration/President for support. Where applicable, the Board of Trustees will also approve, while necessary approvals from the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Middle States Higher Education Commission (MSCHE), and professional and other accrediting bodies will be required.

Contact
ait@mountsaintvincent.edu