Kathleen McCartney (academic)

Kathleen McCartney (born 1956) is an American academic administrator, who served as the 11th president of Smith College. She took office as Smith's president on June 2013.[1][2] Smith College, located in Northampton, Massachusetts, is a liberal arts college and one of the Seven Sisters colleges.[3] In February 2023, McCartney announced that she plans to retire at end of June 2023.[4][5]

For other people named Kathleen McCartney, see Kathleen McCartney (disambiguation).
Kathleen McCartney
McCartney in 2014
11th President of Smith College
In office
July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2023
Preceded byCarol T. Christ
Succeeded bySarah Willie-LeBreton
Personal details
Born1956 (age 66–67)
Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materTufts University (BA)
Yale University (MA, PhD)
ProfessionPsychologist
Academic background
ThesisThe Effect of Quality of Day Care Environment Upon Children's Language Development (1982)
Doctoral advisorSandra Scarr
Academic work
DisciplinePsychology
Sub-disciplinechild development
Institutions

Early life and education

McCartney was born in Medford, Massachusetts.

McCartney received a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude with a major in psychology from Tufts University in 1977. She received a Master of Philosophy in psychology in 1979 and a Doctor of Philosophy in psychology in 1982 from Yale University.[6]

Career

McCartney came to Smith from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was dean, and the Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development. During her tenure at Harvard, the school introduced a three-year doctorate in educational leadership in collaboration with the Harvard Business School and Kennedy School of Government.[7] Prior teaching and research experience includes service as a tenured associate professor of psychology and family studies as well as director of the Child Study and Development Center at the University of New Hampshire.[8]

In her role as President of Smith College, McCartney launched initiatives on college access and affordability, design thinking, and the liberal arts, women in STEM and the capacities women need to succeed and lead. During her tenure, Smith engaged architectural designer Maya Lin to redesign the historic Neilson Library.[9] The building was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic and opened for use by Smith students and faculty in March 2021.[10]

Research and academic interests

McCartney's research has focused on early experience and development, particularly with respect to child care, early childhood education, and poverty. She has published more than 150 articles and book chapters on those topics and was the principal researcher for Child Care and Child Development, a 20-year study published in 2005 that examined whether early and extensive child care disrupted the mother-child relationship. She co-edited Experience and Development, The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development, and Best Practices in Developmental Research Methods. In 1983, McCartney and Sandra Scarr published a developmental theory of gene-environment correlation.[11]

McCartney has written extensively on issues of gender, education and parenting, including essays and letters in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Worth, CNN, The Boston Globe, and HuffPost.

McCartney is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[12] the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society.

Awards and honors

A developmental psychologist, McCartney was the recipient in 2009 of the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Society for Research in Child Development. In 2011 The Boston Globe named her one of the 30 most innovative people in Massachusetts. In 2013, she received the Harvard College Women's Professional Achievement Award, which honors an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in her professional field.[13] In March 2015, she was elected to the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE).[14] The Boston Business Journal named her one of its 2016 Women of Influence, citing her extensive work on early childhood education.

References
  1. "Kathleen McCartney 11th President of Smith College" (PDF). Smith College.
  2. Harney, John O. (January 11, 2013). "Harvard Expert to Follow Christ at Smith, Banker to Head McCormack". New England Board of Higher Education.
  3. Mattero, Sarah N. (December 10, 2012). "Smith College names Kathleen McCartney as 11th president". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  4. "Smith College President Kathleen McCartney has announced that she will step down in June 2023, after 10 years of service". Smith College. February 25, 2022.
  5. MacMillan, John (June 5, 2023). "'How Are We Ever Going to Leave This Place?'". Smith College.
  6. "CURRICULUM VITAE – Kathleen McCartney" (PDF). Smith College. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  7. Auritt, Elizabeth (December 11, 2012). "Ed school dean to leave for Smith College". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  8. "Perspectives; McCartney". Archive of Public Broadcasting (WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. New Hampshire Public Radio. 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2016. Interview with Laura Kiernan, 29:39
  9. Smith College website (http://www.smith.edu/libraries/about/new-neilson Archived 2018-09-11 at the Wayback Machine)
  10. New Neilson Library Building Project. Smith College Libraries. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  11. Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Mayr, Ulrich (March 1, 2005). "Cognitive change in aging: Identifying gene–environment correlation and nonshared environment mechanisms". The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. 60 (Special Issue 1): 24–31. doi:10.1093/geronb/60.Special_Issue_1.24. ISSN 1079-5014. PMID 15863707.
  12. "Member search". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  13. Doody, Jennifer (May 23, 2013). "Recognizing exceptional women, Three honored at 16th Women's Leadership Awards". Harvard Gazette. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  14. "Board members". American Council on Education. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
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