Uniontown native dean at Cal U
CALIFORNIA – Having already achieved an award-winning teaching career, Dr. Laura Tuennerman-Kaplan, a Uniontown resident, is continuing to positively impact students as California University of Pennsylvania’s interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Tuennerman-Kaplan, the chairwoman of Cal U’s history and political science department for the past two years, replaced Dr. Sean Madden, who is now Cal U’s interim provost. Prior to his deanship, Madden was the history and political science’s department chairman.
“I think generally the idea that you want the dean to be someone who has (chairwoman) experience makes a lot of sense because they have already done scheduling, budgets, and things you need as a dean,” Tuennerman-Kaplan said. “Provost Madden was incredibly supportive and really helped bring me up to speed. From working together so long in the history and political science department, I know how he thinks, and he knows how I think, which does not mean we’re identical, but it sure helps.”
Tuennerman-Kaplan began her Cal U career as a full-time, temporary instructor in 1998 and became a tenure-track faculty member in 2000. Previously she taught at Waynesburg College and Salisbury State University on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Last summer at the annual President’s Gala, she received the Presidential Faculty Award for Teaching and was nominated for this prestigious honor by one of her students.
Cal U President Angelo Armenti Jr. said he has also noticed her exemplary classroom achievements and influence on students.
“Prior to her appointment as interim dean of the college of liberal arts, Dr. Tuennerman-Kaplan’s career at California University had been marked by significant accomplishment as a teacher, researcher, department chair and role model for our students,” said Armenti. “I am confident that she will distinguish herself similarly in her new assignment. I look forward to working with her to build upon the recent successes of the College of Liberal Arts and, thereby, to continue to advance the mission of the university.”
Building the character and careers of students is the mission of the university and the desired result of any educator. Tuennerman-Kaplan is determined to continue accomplishing this goal as an administrator though leaving her life’s passion was understandably difficult, she said.
“It is a very big change going from teaching to administration,” she said. “I love teaching and worked with wonderful colleagues and loved the history department. So the downside of this exciting, new job is obviously leaving that behind at least for a little while. But right now it is not that painful because in the new Duda building we see a lot of faculty and students.”
As a department chairwoman, Tuennerman-Kaplan concerned herself with her teaching duties and the needs of one academic department. Her scope of concern has widened, but her past teaching experience is invaluable in her new role, she said.
“I think it helps to have been on the other side because when I read student evaluations or classroom visitations I know what its like to be in a classroom,” said Tuennerman-Kaplan.
“When we talk about things like class size and schedules I know what that’s like. Instead of thinking as a (chairwoman), I have to think about all 10 liberal arts departments. That’s really different because an art is different than a philosophy seminar or a criminal justice crime scene investigation. We have a lot in common as the great College of Liberal Arts, but we also have some real differences.”
Tuennerman-Kaplan’s new appointment is one of many administration changes that have taken place during the past half year after Armenti initially announced most of these last fall. She believes his early announcement provided proper forewarning to effectively prepare for the transition and also praised longtime Liberal Arts administrative assistants Judy Andresky and Karen Satifka for making her career change a smooth one.
“Judy is the College of Liberal Arts, and I am the sixth dean she’s worked with here in this office,” Tuennerman-Kaplan said. “Karen was here not long after her. So in that sense there’s a way in which even though our college has had a lot of change on the dean side, there’s a wonderful, consistent institutional memory. Those two women absolutely keep us moving in the right direction, and we’re moving there quick. They keep perfect records and can tell us where we’re going, and then of course with the provost telling me what he had been doing, it is not at all as if I am starting blind. I have had lots of support.” She also praised associate provost Dr. Richard Helldobler, who preceded Madden as the Liberal Arts dean.
Earlier this winter, Dr. Ronald Wagner from Cal U’s Health Science and Sport Studies Department was named by Armenti to replace the retiring Dr. Tom Kinsey as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research effective in July. Because of this change, Tuennerman-Kaplan is no longer Cal’s newest and youngest administrator.
“The high point of my career so far was the new graduate dean being appointed because he is younger and more junior than me, so now I’m the old person which makes me feel good because my stint as the new kid on the block was very brief,” she joked.
Dealing with issues such as finding adequate space, the most effective use of facilities for her area and new faculty searches occupy a considerable part of her workday. Tuennerman-Kaplan1s free time is mostly consumed with her family. She and her husband, Richard, are the parents of two on-the-go daughters Elyse, 10, and Megan, 6. Their Uniontown home is always happening with 11 pets, a group that includes four cats, three dogs, two parakeets, a hermit frog and a fish. The family also volunteers some of its time at a nearby animal shelter.
Though she emphasized the College of Liberal Arts’ solidarity, the enthusiastic new dean does look to add her own niche.
“I’m just so lucky because the other deans have also been so very helpful,” she explained. “So there is institutional memory, but there’s also room for us to do something different because there are new people. Any time new people come in, you get a chance to rethink things. A second pair of eyes is always useful, and that’s what we have now in liberal arts.”
Originally from Bedford, Ohio, Tuennerman-Kaplan’s own education sent her to the College of Wooster in Ohio for her undergraduate degree, the University of Delaware for her master’s degree and the University of Minnesota for her doctorate. California University has been her career location for nearly a decade now, and she enjoys her new challenge.
“To me where you work is not as important as whom you work with,” said Tuennerman-Kaplan, who still works with several students doing their honors or master’s theses this spring.
“I work with wonderful people. At first I was hesitant about this change when I was asked, but the president was very confident, and now I am glad that I took this on. I enjoy it more now than when I started and am glad to contribute in a different way. I have never done career mapping and never thought I would stop teaching. I believe I will teach again, but this has worked out pretty well.”