Woods College Dean to retire in December
Karen Muncaster, dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies since 2019, has announced that she will retire at the end of the fall semester after a long and distinguished career in higher education.
During her tenure as dean, Muncaster expanded the Woods College’s online course offerings and launched an array of new programs, including undergraduate majors in applied liberal arts and cybersecurity, a master's degree program in applied analytics, a dual master's degree in applied economics and cybersecurity, and graduate certificates and concentrations in diversity, equity, and inclusion within the school's M.S. in Leadership and Administration program. Under her leadership, the Woods College also developed a service-learning option for Woods students who want to give back to the community—one of the few such programs in the nation for non-traditional students.
She also forged ties between the Woods College and local community colleges, government agencies, and area businesses interested in improving their workforce through online and hybrid educational programs. Among her successes were new strategic partnerships and tuition incentive agreements for employees of the Boston Public Schools, MassBio, and the National Junior College Athletic Association, among others.
Most recently, she launched the Finish Strong program to encourage individuals who had not yet completed their undergraduate degrees to do so at Woods College. The program has attracted professional athletes from BC who left school before graduating, as well as individuals nationwide with no BC affiliation interested in degree completion.
“In all her work, and especially at the Woods College, Karen has displayed a resolute commitment to underrepresented and first-generation college students. I am grateful for the many ways in which her tenure as dean has resulted in a renewed commitment to both access and excellence for Woods undergraduate and graduate students.”
She is also credited with improving the University’s Summer Session, which offers a wide variety of online courses for BC undergraduates and students from other colleges and universities, enabling domestic and international learners to complete their summer courses from anywhere while working or traveling, and Boston College Experience, which gives motivated high school students an opportunity to preview college life on the BC campus.
Prior to her deanship at Boston College, Muncaster served as vice president of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies at Brandeis University; commissioner of the Commission of Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; vice president of professional and continuing education at the Boston Architectural College; associate vice president for academic technology and program planning at Lesley University; and dean of continuing education at Southern New Hampshire University.
“Working as the dean of Woods College has been a grand experience. It has been an honor to have led a school within such an esteemed university, particularly a school that aligns with my life’s work of ‘leveling the playing field’ for talented students who cannot access a traditional educational program.”
Muncaster said her decision to retire at the end of the semester was influenced by a desire to spend more time in Southern France, where she and her husband Peyton Paxson, a recently retired faculty member at Middlesex Community College, will be purchasing a home.
“Working as the dean of Woods College has been a grand experience,” said Muncaster. “It has been an honor to have led a school within such an esteemed university, particularly a school that aligns with my life’s work of ‘leveling the playing field’ for talented students who cannot access a traditional educational program. Woods students embody the original and enduring mission of BC–to serve bright, underserved individuals who have the potential to benefit from a high-quality education that is informed by Ignatian values.”
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said he was grateful to Muncaster for the work she did in advancing the Woods College and advocating for students during her tenure as dean.
"Having received her doctorate from the Lynch School, Karen Muncaster returned to Boston College in 2019 after a distinguished career across higher education in New England,” said Quigley. “In all her work, and especially at the Woods College, Karen has displayed a resolute commitment to underrepresented and first-generation college students. I am grateful for the many ways in which her tenure as dean has resulted in a renewed commitment to both access and excellence for Woods undergraduate and graduate students.”
Quigley said that Akua Sarr, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs, will serve as interim dean beginning in January. A search committee will be formed with the goal of naming a new dean in 2024.
“I want to extend my thanks to David Quigley for offering me the opportunity to serve as dean,” said Muncaster. “I have appreciated his counsel and support. I also want to thank the Woods staff for their dedication and commitment. They were willing to adapt to the creation of a new culture, and stuck with us through COVID and into this new post-pandemic world. The team in place is strong, smart, hard-working, and committed to the mission of the school. I am confident that all the work we have done and the plans we have created will be continued in an effort to grow Woods and even better serve our students.”