Alverno Names New Director of Center for Academic Excellence

Angela Frey, Ph.D., professor of biology and STEM Chair of the Natural Science, Mathematics and Technology Division, has been named executive director of Alverno College’s Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). She will assume the role on Jan. 17.

Launched in fall 2015, the CAE offers student-faculty research fellowships, intensive courses, conference and study abroad experiences and fellowships, seminars and a scholarship program for students demonstrating strong scholarly potential.

In her role, Frey will work to expand curricular and co-curricular opportunities for Alverno students and the wider community, as well as leverage the strengths of the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls, the Assessment and Outreach Center, the Thea Bowman Institute for Excellence and Leadership, and Institutional Effectiveness and Sponsored Programs.

“I am excited to lead the Center for Academic Excellence and to build off the momentum already in place,” Frey said. “I believe strongly in giving women opportunities for high-impact academic engagement, and this role will allow me to work with students across the college, expanding and building on the meaningful experiences created for women in STEM.”

Frey will continue the work begun by Jodi Eastberg, Ph.D., dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, and Laura Sear, MA, senior program director in the Alverno College School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives.

“Angela’s engagement in faculty-student research and student success-oriented programming and grant development make her the perfect choice to build upon the exceptional foundation put into place by Jodi and Laura,” said Joseph Foy, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs. “I am grateful for the leadership that they provided and am excited about the future directions in which Angela will take the Center.”

Frey began teaching at Alverno in 2001 and, in 2006, she became the campus liaison to the Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP), whose goal is to increase underrepresented students graduating in STEM and pursuing graduate degrees and STEM employment. Since 2008, Frey has received several grants, most recently a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the Alverno College Truchan STEM Community Impact Program and a $970,000 NSF scholarship grant for high-achieving, low-income STEM majors.

In collaboration with colleagues, Frey has also secured multiple grants from WiscAMP to support Alverno’s peer mentoring program, which she developed. Frey earned her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.