BOSTON, Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Simmons College announced today the appointment of Sheila "Katie" Conboy, Ph.D., a skilled academic administrator with a distinguished liberal arts career, as its Provost and Senior Vice President. Her appointment begins July 1, 2013.

"We are impressed with Katie's breadth of experience, as well as her energy, vision, and optimism," said Simmons College President Helen Drinan. "She will be a strong addition to our leadership team, and I look forward to working with her to continue our mission of transformative learning."

Dr. Conboy replaces current Provost Charlena M. Seymour, Ph.D., a noted expert in speech language pathology, who is retiring at the end of the 2013 academic year.

The Simmons College Provost is the chief academic officer of the College, responsible for management of the undergraduate women's college, as well as the five graduate schools: College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, School of Management, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and School of Social Work. The Provost oversees all educational affairs and activities; leads curricular, instructional, and research affairs; coordinates the promotion, tenure, and sabbatical processes; oversees faculty development; and provides program evaluation.

Dr. Conboy has worked at Stonehill College for the past 25 years, most recently as provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2000. In this role, Dr. Conboy was responsible for Stonehill's academic vision and for ensuring the curriculum met its academic objectives. Dr. Conboy helped to lead and implement three successful strategic plans; increased the diversity of the faculty and the student body; helped to create the Kruse Center for Academic and Professional Excellence, as well as the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Community-Based Learning. A faculty member at Stonehill since 1987, Dr. Conboy has served as chair of the English Department. She previously taught in the English departments at Tufts University and UMass Boston. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Notre Dame, specializing in British fiction, Irish literature, and feminist theory.

Dr. Conboy is the author of numerous articles, essays, book reviews, and presentations related to her areas of specialization. She is on the board of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, the American Conference of Academic Deans, and is a trustee of both Boston College High School in Boston, MA, and Trinity Catholic Academy in Brockton, MA.

Simmons College (http://www.simmons.edu) nationally recognized private university located in the heart of Boston. It offers an undergraduate education for women, and renowned coeducational graduate programs in health sciences, education, liberal arts, social work, library and information science, and communications management, as well as the nation's first MBA program designed specifically for women. Follow Simmons on Twitter @SimmonsCollege and @SimmonsNews.

SOURCE Simmons College