Salvatore J. Petrilli ’05, EdD, is the associate dean for academic operations and general education in the College of Arts and Sciences. This is a leadership position with primary responsibilities for curriculum design (including serving as the co-chair of the University General Education Committee), academic administration, budgeting and assessment.
Previously the chair and associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dr. Petrilli has considerable experience in curriculum design, including leading major curriculum revisions to align with the University’s strategic plan, Momentum, and facilitating several new innovative programs (an MS in Computer Science, MS in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, a minor in statistics and data analytics and a BS in Statistics). He has also promoted diversity and inclusion through successful faculty recruitment and student retention endeavors.
Margaret (Maggie) Lally, associate dean for faculty and programs, was appointed to that role in January 2020. Previously, she was a tenured faculty member in the Department of Theatre. Lally has developed strong leadership skills through her work with the national Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, where she received a gold medallion in recognition of her teaching. She oversees full-time and part-time faculty programs and support; interdisciplinary courses, programs and events; social media; the new CAS newsletter, ASCEND; and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, in addition to coordinating special CAS events, such as the interdisciplinary Fall Arts Festival, in collaboration with Associate Professor Kellyann Monaghan.
Andrea (Andie) Ward, PhD, has been appointed associate dean for student success and strategic initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, effective January 1, 2021. She assumed a reconfigured leadership position with primary responsibilities for student success (advising, petitioning, recruiting and retention) and advancing the College’s strategic initiatives, including expansion of its graduate programs, fundraising and coordination of articulation programs with community colleges and other universities.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office Administrative Staff
Mary Beth Graves came to Adelphi in February 2012 as an hourly worker in the School of Social Work. She then took a permanent part-time position in Swirbul Library before becoming a full-time employee in the CAS dean’s office in October 2014. Graves was an assistant to the associate dean for academic operations and general education until August 2019, when she became the assistant to Dean Vincent Wang, PhD. For her, the most interesting part of this most recent position is learning more about the operations of the College of Arts and Sciences and Adelphi. She has two children who are Panthers—a son who is pursuing his master’s and a daughter who is a junior.
Pat Fontano ’20 started her career with Adelphi in Summer 2009 in the IT Department as a temporary employee. In 2012, she took a permanent part-time position with the Learning Center. In 2013, she began her current position in the CAS dean’s office, where she provides support for Associate Dean Maggie Lally. Fontano had the opportunity to complete her BA while working at Adelphi and graduated in May 2020. She enjoys interacting with faculty and students on several dean’s office committees, especially the Diversity Committee.
Camille McCue has administrative experience in the Office of Academic Services and Retention, the School of Social Work and the Writing Center. In 2012, she became a full-time admin, supporting the Learning Resource Program, and simultaneously earned her undergraduate degree in 2018. McCue moved to the CAS dean’s office in August 2019 as assistant to Dr. Petrilli, associate dean for academic operations and general education. She coordinates student activities for first-year seminar instructors and takes minutes at General Education Committee meetings.
Ellen Giarratana began working in the College of Arts and Sciences as administrative assistant this fall. She joined the department after spending 19 years in the Hy Weinberg Center for Communication Disorders. In her previous role at Hy Weinberg, she worked in a clinical setting and was responsible for handling the department’s finances. Her new role in the College of Arts and Sciences is quite different. Giarratana is becoming more familiar with her job responsibilities and feels fortunate enough to have wonderful colleagues that are assisting her along the way. She is also looking forward to returning full-time to campus where she can interact daily with students and make all students feel welcome.
College of Arts and Sciences Student Employees
Jenna Ventura is a senior graphic design major who will receive a BFA in Spring 2021. She designs the CAS flyers that are emailed and posted to Facebook, as well as some posts for the Instagram page. Ventura has worked as a writing assistant and computer lab monitor, and she volunteers with The Delphian newspaper, “…but working as a designer for CAS has been the greatest pleasure. I feel it has not only gotten me involved in my College, but has given me experience in my chosen field and the opportunity to work with a fantastic team at the dean’s office. When the email blasts come out, I can tell my classmates, ‘I designed that!'”
Mili Shrestha (pronoun: she/her/hers) is a junior acting major. She’s the student worker for CAS’s social media pages, including Instagram and Facebook. “I am so grateful to work with a fabulous team of strong women at the dean’s office. It is great to be able to use my social media skills and design interests and put them into a creative, informative outlet. Being a part of the CAS community and keeping everyone updated on events and community members’ visibility is very special to me. I hope you all can join me in supporting and uplifting our community through social media!”