Great Lakes Colleges Association, Strengthening Education in the Tradition of the Liberal Arts
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About Us

The Great Lakes Colleges Association, Inc. was chartered in the state of Michigan and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1962, and works on behalf of the twelve member colleges located in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

 

Our Mission

The mission of the Great Lakes Colleges Association is to take actions that will help strengthen and preserve our colleges; and by being a leading force on behalf of education in the tradition of the liberal arts and sciences. Rich in tradition, GLCA will continue to enhance our colleges by leading as new areas of opportunity and challenge emerge.

 

Leadership Groups

The Board of Directors is the primary governing body of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and consists of the presidents of the member colleges, the chair of the Deans’ Council, three faculty representatives of the Academic Council, and the President of the Association, ex officio. The Board approves the programs and projects undertaken by the Association and sets the annual budget.

Wayne Webster
President
Albion College

Ron Cole
President
Allegheny College

Jane Fernandes
President
Antioch College

Lori White [Vice Chair]
President
DePauw University 

Paul Sniegowski
President
Earlham College

Matthew Scogin  [Executive Committee Member-at-Large]
President
Hope College

Jorge G. Gonzalez [Chair]
President
Kalamazoo College 

Julie Kornfeld
President
Kenyon College

Carmen Twillie Ambar [Secretary/Treasurer]
President
Oberlin College 

Matthew vandenBerg
President
Ohio Wesleyan University 

Scott Feller [Executive Committee Member-at-Large]
President
Wabash College

Anne McCall
President
The College of Wooster

Danette Ifert Johnson
Deans’ Council Chair
Provost
Kalamazoo College

Amber Garcia
Academic Council Representative
The College of Wooster

Stephanie Merkel
Academic Council Representative
Ohio Wesleyan University

Julian Whitney
Academic Council Representative
Wabash College

Michael McDonald
President
GLCA

The Chief Academic Officers of the member colleges meet twice annually to review existing and consider new programming related to faculty, curricular and pedagogical development.

Lisa Lewis
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Albion College

Jennifer Dearden
Interim Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Allegheny College 

Brian Norman
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Antioch College

Dave Berque
Vice President for Academic Affairs
DePauw University

Lori Schroeder
Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs
Earlham College

Gerald Griffin
Provost
Hope College

Danette Ifert Johnson
Provost
Kalamazoo College [Chair]

Jeff Bowman
Provost
Kenyon College

David Kamitsuka
Dean
Oberlin College

Karlyn Crowley
Provost
Ohio Wesleyan University

Todd McDorman
Dean of the College
Wabash College

Lisa Perfetti
Provost
The College of Wooster

The Academic Council consists of two faculty from each member college. Academic Council discusses issues of importance to faculty across the campuses and advises the Board, Deans’ Council, and GLCA staff on current and emerging issues of importance for faculty. Members share Council discussions with their campus community. Three members serve on the Board of Directors.

Ian MacInnes
Professor of English
Albion College

TBD
Albion College

Matt Ferrence
Professor of English
Allegheny College

Chris Normile
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Allegheny College

Brooke Bryan
Associate Professor of Writing & Aesthetics
Antioch College

Jennifer Grubbs
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Antioch College

Amber Garcia
Professor of Psychology
College of Wooster

Hamed Goharipour
Assistant Professor of Urban Studies
College of Wooster

Naima Shifa
Professor of Mathematical Sciences
DePauw University

Samuel Autman
Associate Professor of English
DePauw University

J. Gibson
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Earlham College

Rodolfo Gúzman
Professor of Spanish and Hispanic Studies
Earlham College

Rodrigo Serrão 
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Hope College

Curtis Gruenler
Professor of English
Hope College

TBD
Kalamazoo College

TBD
Kalamazoo College

Irene López 
Professor of Psychology
Kenyon College

Dana Krieg
Professor of Psychology
Kenyon College

Erika Hoffmann-Dilloway
Professor of Anthropology
Oberlin College

Stephanie Merkel
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Rebecca R. Brown Professor of Humanities
Ohio Wesleyan University

Rich Edwards
Professor of Music
Ohio Wesleyan University

Julien Whitney
Assistant Professor of English
Wabash College

Jim Cherry
Associate Professor of Theater
Wabash College

 

2022-2028 Strategic Plan

The strategic plan was endorsed by the GLCA presidents on May 3, 2022 and will guide our work through 2028.

 

GLCA Staff

Mickey McDonald

Simon J. M. Gray

Colleen Monahan Smith

Derek S. Vaughan

Charla J. White

Marc Anderson

Mickey McDonald

President

Michael (Mickey) McDonald is the president of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. He joined the GLCA staff on July 1, 2018. Just prior to joining the GLCA, Mickey served ten years as Provost of Kalamazoo College, including one term as Acting President, and before that he was a professor of mathematics and served in various administrative roles at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Mickey earned a B.S. from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Duke University. He currently serves on the Boards of the Association of Collaborative Leadership, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and the American Council of Education (ACE).

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Simon J. M. Gray

Senior Program Director, Global Liberal Arts Alliance

As Senior Program Director, Simon’s primary responsibility is programming for the Global Liberal Arts Alliance. He also works with GLCA faculty and staff groups, including the GLCA Academic Council and the International and Off-Campus Education Committee. Simon is the program lead for the GLCA’s partnership with the CIC AI Ready program. Prior to joining GLCA in July 2015, Simon taught Computer Science at The College of Wooster. Simon earned a B.A. in anthropology and philosophy and an M.A. in anthropology from the University of Virginia, then a Ph.D. in computer science from Kent State University.

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Colleen Monahan Smith

Program Director

Colleen is Director of the New Writers Award and Co-Director of the Consortium for Teaching and Learning. She leads and closely works with a number of campus administrative groups and is part of the GALI team, GLCA’s signature professional development program. Previously, she worked as a Legislative Director on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Colleen earned her BS from Santa Clara University in Northern California where she studied Political Science with minors in Spanish and International Studies. Colleen joined the Great Lakes Colleges Association in 2012.

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Derek S. Vaughan

Vice President for Finance and Administration

Derek S. Vaughan is the Vice President for Finance and Administration where he serves as the chief financial and operating officer. He also serves as the program officer for several groups including Chief Financial Officers, Institutional Researchers, HR Officers, Chief Information Technology Officers, and Tuition Remission Exchange Officers. Additionally, Derek serves as the administrator for the consortial Tuition Remission Exchange (TRE) program and the primary data sharing officer. Derek earned a BS in math and a BBA in quantitative business analysis from Ohio University, an MS in student personnel services and an MBA in organizational behavior from Miami University, and a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the GLCA in 2004, Derek held positions in student affairs at Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and Miami University.

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Charla J. White

Senior Program Director, Controller

Charla White is a senior program director and controller at the GLCA. Charla works closely with administrative and diversity groups, helps the VP for Finance and Administration monitor and enforce policies and procedures, and assists in the auditing process. Charla’s efforts focus on enrollment work with GLCA and ACM through the Midwest College Showcase and advancing Career Services through virtual career fairs and the Employer/Career Pipeline.  Charla was previously employed at Earlham College where she worked in the Student Life area and the grant-funded Odyssey Program for rural, first-generation, college-bound students. Charla holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on assessment and evaluation (American InterContinental University, 2010) and a Bachelor of Arts in English (Earlham College, 2008). Charla came to GLCA in 2002 following her work at Earlham College.

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Marc Anderson

Event and Program Manager/Executive Assistant to the President

Marc Anderson is the Event and Program Manager and serves as the Executive Assistant to the President for GLCA. He also supports various Student Development administrative groups. Marc holds a BA in Music and a MS in Management. Prior to joining GLCA in 2023, Marc spent 10 years serving institutions in Admissions and Residence Life. In his free time, Marc volunteers for a non-profit organization committed to providing opportunities and safety to LGBTQ people in the cities of Highland Park and Detroit. 

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