Judith Wimmer to step down as Edgewood College dean
Presided over dramatic growth in size and quality of faculty and programs

Madison, Wis. (Nov. 11, 2004) – Edgewood College announced today that Judith C. Wimmer will step down at the end of June 2005 after 18 years as academic dean and vice president for academic affairs. She will continue to teach part-time on the religious studies faculty. The college will announce details of the search process in the coming weeks.

During Wimmer’s tenure as dean, from 1986-87 to 2004-05, both the size and quality of Edgewood College’s faculty grew dramatically. The number of faculty grew from 70 to 255, and the percentage of full-time faculty with Ph.D.’s and other terminal degrees rose from 64 percent to 81 percent.

Growth in Edgewood College faculty and academic programs, 1986-2004

• Percentage of full-time faculty with Ph.D.’s and other terminal degrees: rose from 64 percent to 81 percent.

• Number of faculty: grew from 70 to 255.

• New degrees: M.S. in nursing administration, M.S. in marriage and family therapy, accelerated Bachelor of Business Administration, and the college’s first doctorate, an Ed.D. in educational leadership.

• New academic programs: graphic design, art therapy, communication studies, music education, K-16 science education.

In the search for the next academic dean, Carey said, “We will seek someone who can build on our established academic strengths, lead our faculty forward, and enrich our mission as a Catholic liberal arts college in the Dominican intellectual tradition.”

Looking back on her tenure as chief academic officer, Wimmer said, “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful Edgewood College faculty and staff, to have been a part of the profound and exciting changes to which so many of us contributed. I’m especially proud of our support for an ethnically and culturally diverse faculty, and for rigorous academic standards. Now the college is poised for a whole new set of changes. It is right for someone else to lead during this new period. I am eager to go back to other pursuits I set aside earlier and to try new things.”

James A. Ebben, Edgewood College president emeritus, said, “Judy led our efforts on campus to develop the faculty and enhance the quality of our academic offerings. At the same time, she worked off campus to increase our national recognition. She was recognized personally for her leadership among chief academic officers, at the state level in the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges, and at the national level in the Council of Independent Colleges.”

Wimmer earned her Ph.D. in nineteenth century studies from Drew University (Madison, N.J.), her M.A. in theology from the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), and her B.A. in theology and philosophy from Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wis.). She served on the board of directors of the Urban League of Madison from 1996-2000. At the national level, she served on the chief academic officer task force of the Council of Independent Colleges from 1999-2000 to 2001-02, when she chaired the task force.

# # #

About Edgewood College

Edgewood College is Madison’s only independent liberal arts college, a Catholic school with 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master’s degrees in business, education, nursing, and other fields, and a doctoral program in education leadership. For more information about Edgewood College, visit www.edgewood.edu or call 800-444-4861.

###

[ Return to Edgewood College Homepage ]