Barbara Whitney Petruzzelli of Gardiner, N.Y. was recently named assistant vice president for Academic Affairs (AVPAA) at Mount Saint Mary College.
"It's a great honor for me to have the opportunity to serve Mount Saint Mary College as assistant VP of Academic Affairs," said Petruzzelli. "In my 15 years at the Mount, I've been inspired by the dedication of our faculty and staff to ensure that our students receive an outstanding education and take part in college experiences that enrich their lives. I hope my work in this new role will help move the Mount forward in service to our students and our community."
As AVPAA, Petruzzelli assists George Abaunza, vice president for Academic Affairs, in providing guidance and leadership to the Mount's academic community. She oversees the college's Career Center, Digital Learning and Instructional Design Services, the First Year Experience (FYE) program, the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and the Mount's Writing Center. In addition, she provides direction for First Year Writing, the Honors Program, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), and faculty development.
Before she became the AVPAA, Petruzzelli served as the director of the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center on campus. She played a key role in the planning and design of the Kaplan Family Library, which opened in the fully renovated Dominican Center in 2014. In 2009, she was granted the Spirit of Librarianship Award from the Academic and Special Libraries Division of the New York Library Association. And in 2019, she was the recipient of the Mount Saint Mary College Faculty Award.
Petruzzelli earned a master's degree from the School of Information Studies (iSchool) at Syracuse University. She holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics from SUNY Albany, where she was inducted into the Alpha Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society for liberal arts and sciences.
Prior to joining the Mount, Petruzzelli served as assistant library director at SUNY New Paltz. She also spent more than a decade working in marketing and investor relations for several investment companies across the United States.