I am pleased to inform you that I have recommended to President Fritz that Professor Maureen Becker be appointed as Interim Founding Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the College of Staten Island effective Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. Dean Becker will assume the task of leading the Nursing and Physical Therapy departments and organizing the school so that these departments function cohesively and complement each other. Based on the advice of the Nursing and Physical Therapy departments, I plan to initiate a national search for a permanent Dean in the 2014-2015 academic year.
Dean Becker has been at the College of Staten Island since 1992 and has been an integral member of the Physical Therapy program. She was one of two full-time faculty members who have been a member of the combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Physical Therapy program since its inception. She has served as the Director of Clinical Education (DCE), securing 227 physical therapy education contracts, which equates to more than 500 actual clinical sites nationwide. She was instrumental in our transition to a Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program. She serves as the Deputy Chair of the Physical Therapy Department and was Acting Chair (for two semesters). Dean Becker is active in the Staten Island community and is especially interested in general health and well-being, particularly in nutritional and exercise-based approaches to prevent obesity. As one of the cofounders of the Staten Island Slim Down, Dean Becker was one of the first recipients of the Staten Island Community Health Hero Award sponsored by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC). As Dean of the School of Health Sciences, she will administer a school with the two doctoral programs at the College.
