January 2015 Alumni Spotlight
January’s Alumni Spotlight with Maureen McAndrew, MSEd ’05
Photo credit: Leo Sorel
Dr. Maureen McAndrew’s list of accomplishments is extensive, diverse, and open-ended, with no apparent end in sight. Her latest achievement is a prestigious award from the American Dental Association (ADA) for her efforts inspiring careers in dental education. We speak to the School of Public Affairs MSEd alum, and professor and senior administrator at the NYU College of Dentistry about what it takes to be an award-winning mentor, her time at Baruch College, and the unique programs she’s involved in.
You recently won a Golden Apple Award from the ADA, which recognizes you as an outstanding mentor. How do you approach this role and what about this approach do you think resonates with your students?
Mentoring students is without a doubt the highlight of my job. I enjoy collaborating with them and regard my research students as equal partners during our projects. I am fortunate to teach and work with bright, creative, and hard-working students. I always tell my research students that we have two goals: To get published and to have fun. I strive to instill in them a passion for teaching, research, and mentoring.
It’s now been around 10 years since you graduated from Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs with your Master of Science in Education – Higher Education Administration. What skills did your time at Baruch instill that you draw from to this day?
Quite simply, I would not have accomplished what I have without my experience at Baruch. I am one of the few dental educators with an advanced degree in education. Before Baruch, I had never written a research paper or given an oral presentation. Now it seems as though all I do is write and prepare talks! Baruch’s talented faculty and diverse student body allowed me to develop the skills and confidence I needed to excel in my position as a teacher, researcher, and administrator.
What programs have you created or contributed to over the past decade?
As Senior Director of Professional Development, my office offers 100+ unique programs for our faculty and staff each year. These include programs in leadership, clinical teaching, academic writing, oral health, and orientations to welcome new faculty to name just a few. I created the one year Teaching in Dental Education (TIDE) fellowship program and several teaching assistant programs which encompass different facets of dental academia. I also lead two certificate programs in clinical teaching for the faculty: The Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program which is entering its tenth year, and Class ACTS (Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars) which is in its fifth. These programs were created with needs assessments and evaluated rigorously resulting in several publications in the Journal of Dental Education.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or research you’ll be engaging in?
My latest research concerns health professional student study strategies and test-enhanced learning. I continue to encourage faculty and students to use evidence based methods for teaching and learning. With other colleagues, I am looking to create engaging e-learning modules.
