Media Contact: Susan Cipollaro, scipollaro@fairfield.edu, 203-254-4000 x2726
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (December 10, 2019)—Following a comprehensive national search, Fairfield University Provost Christine Siegel, PhD has announced that Christina S. McGowan has been appointed Dean of the Library and University Librarian, effective January 1, 2020.
Since June 2019, McGowan has served as Interim University Librarian at Fairfield, and has been active in academic and university leadership. In her role as Dean of the Library and University Librarian, she will continue to lead the operations of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library at Fairfield University.
Prior to her current position, McGowan also served as Fairfield University’s Assistant University Librarian for Reference and Circulation Services from 2011 until May 2019, Head Reference Librarian from 2003 until 2011, and Senior Reference Librarian. Her accomplishments include providing leadership in the development and implementation of reference and circulation services, and leading and managing all aspects of the Reference Department with functional supervision of reference services, information literacy, and outreach. As Assistant University Librarian, McGowan participated in initiatives such as NEASC accreditation and the President’s Institutional Diversity Council. McGowan has supported and advanced the mission of Fairfield University as a cura personalis mentor, as a mentor for the Service for Justice Residential College, and as personal librarian for first-year students.
Upon making the announcement, University Provost Christine Siegel noted, “I am so pleased to appoint Christina our next Dean of the Library. Her deep commitment to Fairfield University and its traditions, coupled with her innate curiosity, enthusiasm and forward-looking vision position her perfectly to lead the library as Fairfield continues its trajectory of becoming an exemplar of Jesuit Catholic education in the 21st century. She is a fine addition to our Academic Leadership Team and I look forward to our continued work together.”
McGowan earned a Master of Science in library and information science from Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Mount Holyoke College.
Posted On: December 10, 2019
Volume: 51 Number: 51
Vol. 51, #51
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.