New Deans Take Office

Two new deans greeted students this fall semester: Patti Mills, dean, University College: Arts • Sciences • Professional Studies (Metro), and Brian Mauro, dean of students (Flor).

Patti Mills comes to Fairleigh Dickinson from The Pennsylvania State University (Altoona Campus), where she served as associate dean for academic affairs and professor of business administration since 2006.

Patti Mills

She has held academic and administrative positions in the Pennsylvania State University system including interim campus executive officer at Penn State Schuykill, interim assistant dean for graduate studies at Penn State Capital College and assistant dean for academic affairs at Penn State Capital College. Prior to joining the Pennsylvania State University system in 2000, she held several faculty and administrative positions at Indiana State University.

Mills holds a PhD in history from the University of Rochester, an MAS in accounting from the University of Illinois and a BA in history from the State University of New York at Fredonia. She holds a Certified Public Accountant certificate from the state of Illinois and has published extensively in accounting and business history.

“We welcome Dr. Mills to this important position and look forward to working with her,” said Joseph Kiernan, interim University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “She has impressive experience in both academic and campus leadership. University College, with more than 3,000 students and 500 international students from 58 countries, is a vital part of Fairleigh Dickinson, and we are confident that Dr. Mills’ leadership will be marked by high standards and innovation.”

Brian Mauro comes to Fairleigh Dickinson after serving as the director of student affairs at Penn State’s Lehigh Valley Campus since 2005. He previously was director of student affairs at the campus for six years and worked at Muhlenberg College in Greek affairs. While at Penn State, he served as chair of the university system’s Commission on Substance Abuse Prevention and chaired the campus’s Student Services Enhancement Task Force. He has also been a successful fundraiser, augmenting university programs through grants, campaigns and special events providing recreational and classroom space as well as added services for students.

Brian Mauro

The 2007 recipient of Penn State’s Lehigh Valley Campus Teaching Excellence Award for Part-time Faculty, Mauro taught Introduction to Sociology and Social Problems, Introduction to Probability and Statistics and a camping and canoeing course. He was honored with the 2000 Student Appreciation and Recognition Award.

Mauro earned a BA as a dual major in sociology and economics from Millersville University, Pa., his master’s of education from Ohio University and his PhD in human development — higher education administration from Marywood University, Scranton, Pa.

“I knew Fairleigh Dickinson was the place for me because it’s a great place with great people and a great mission,” said Mauro. “The faculty, staff and students are an impressive group that really do care about one another. It has the atmosphere of an idyllic place to work and learn. Fairleigh Dickinson is preparing tomorrow’s leaders for the global community, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”