Dr. Holly Baumgartner brings a wealth of experience and innovation to her role as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Having developed curriculum for nearly two dozen online, traditional and hybrid arts and sciences courses during her career, she has also contributed to the design of the institution’s newest major – Public Health. Her work in course and program development has also garnered seven grant awards totaling $386,000, and she has participated in the writing of many others.

Dr. Baumgartner received her doctoral degree in English, specializing in Rhetoric and Writing. Her research passion is on radical ethics and otherness and includes work on Emmanuel Levinas; St. Francis; Native American autobiography; and women’s performance in film, opera and theatre. The esteemed academic has been selected to present in 15 states, five countries and three continents. A respected author and editor, Dr. Baumgartner’s work has also appeared in close to 30 books, journals, newspapers, wiki, and magazines. Her most recent publications include co-editing the book Blunt Traumas (2016) and the chapter “A Multiple Inhabitance: Cultural Negotiation in Native American Autobiography” in the book The Dialogue of Cultures (2016).

Having taught at various colleges and universities in Ohio, she has also taught abroad at Oxford University for the Trinity and Exeter Colleges. Her work has also taken her to Italy when she was chosen to participate in the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities Franciscan Pilgrimage Program for Leaders. While there, she traced the footsteps of Sts. Francis and Clare in Assisi and Rome, Italy, and then pursued additional historical and philosophical research on Sts. Clare and Agnes in Prague, Czech Republic. Upon her return to Lourdes University, she applied for and was awarded Lourdes University Endowed Chair of Franciscan Integration, and in 2015, was honored with the Franciscan Award by the Sisters of St. Francis.

As Lourdes University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, Dr. Baumgartner is currently leading the institution through a pathway to re-accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) which includes the Lourdes Quality Initiative and the Lourdes Academy on Student Persistence and Completion. Dr. Baumgartner is an HLC Peer Core Reviewer and a CAEP Reviewer.

A faculty advisor for the Lourdes University College of Arts and Sciences, she also directs and advises the college’s dean’s scholars students and program. Past appointments at Lourdes University include Co-Chair of the Honors Task Force and Coordinator of the Lourdes University Honors Program.

Her professional memberships include the Modern Language Association, the Rhetoric Society of America, National Council of Teachers of English, and the American Culture/Popular Culture Association, among others, as well as serving on several advisory boards, including her most recent appointment as the U.S. National Delegate for the journal Filozofski pogledi /  Philosophical Views in Belgrade. This engaged faculty member has also mentored high school and college students and faculty through several programs including REACH, ASAP and a NCTE Mentoring Pilot Program. Other outreach initiatives include a service learning trip to with Lourdes students to San Pedro Sula in El Ocotillo, Honduras, team teaching on cultural bridging at Turtle Mountain Reservation, and volunteering as a freelance writer for an anti-drug and alcohol program for high school students in the state of Michigan. Dr. Baumgartner’s dedication to veterans is also noteworthy in her co-development and teaching for a Veteran’s Writing Program with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

 

Key Assessment and Consulting

  • Peer Corps Reviewer, Higher Learning Commission, 2014-present
  • Consultant on Competency-Based Education, Smith Research, January 2016
  • Consultant, REEF Analytics, June 2016
  • HLC Academy on Student Persistence and Completion, Lourdes Team Leader, 2014-present
  • Assurance Argument Team Leader, Lourdes University, 2014-2016
  • Lourdes Quality Initiative Leader, 2013-2015
  • English Program Reviewer for Program Accreditation, NCATE/NCTE/CAEP (The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) November 2011-present.
  • Rank and Promotion External Evaluator, various institutions
  • Program Review External Evaluator, various institutions
  • Dissertation, Thesis, and Capstone advisor

Books

  • Blunt Traumas, co-editor with Nathaniel Hinerman. Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press, 2016.
  • Hosting the Monster: Critical Essays on the Monstrous, co-editor with Roger Davis, Rodopi, November 2008

Chapters in Books

  • “A Multiple Inhabitance: Cultural Negotiation in Native American Autobiography.” The Dialogue of Cultures. Ed. Anca Dobrinescu, Editura Universităţii din Ploieşti, 2015.
  • “Eastern Promise,” Emanations 2+2=5, ed. Carter Kaplan, International Authors, 2015.
  • “The Hunger of the Other,” in Emanations: Third Eye, ed. Carter Kaplan, an anthology of best new global writing, 2013.
  • “Let’s take a Trip Together: A Driven Narrative,” in Emanations: Second Sight, ed. Carter Kaplan, an anthology of best new global writing, 2013.
  • “Our Wine Dark Seas,” essay in The Great Lakes Book Project, ed. Walter Blake Knoblock, March 2013.
  • “Empowering Faculty Communities for Fostering and Assessing Student Performance in Virtual Landscapes,” Adaptation, Resistance and Access to Instructional Technologies: Assessing Future Trends in Education, ed. Steven D’Agustino, December 2011.
  • “Divas Undone: The Transgressive Heroine as Operatic Monster,” in The Monstrous Identity of Humanity, Conference Proceedings E-book for At the Interface: Fifth Global Conference, Oxford, England, ed. Marlin C. Bates IV, 2008
  • “De-Assimilation as the Need to Tell: Native American Writers, Bakhtin, and Autobiography,” in American Indian Rhetorics of Survivance, ed. Ernest Stromberg, 2006

Journal Articles

  • “Francis and Levinas: Radical Ethics and the Inheritance of War,” in AFCU Journal. June 2014.
  • “Disaster Pedagogy/Building Communities: From Wikis and Websites to Hammers and Nails,” with Jennifer Discher, Reflections: A Journal of Pedagogy and Service Learning, February 2008.
  • “Drifting Between: The Waking Dream of Effort and Fatigue Through Film,” Rhizomes: Culture Studies in Emerging Knowledge 13, Fall 2006.

Conference Presentations

  • “Clare, Agnes, and Agency in Suffering,” 2016 Franciscan Institute Conference on Franciscan Women, St. Bonaventure, New York, 12-15 July 2016.
  • “Community Commitment: Advancing a Campus Culture of Persistence,” Poster Presentation, Academy Poster Fair, HLC Annual Conference, Chicago, 15-19 April 2016.
  • “From Tales to TRAILS: Blazing Through Assumptions to Data Driven Decisions,” with Michelle Rable, 2015 Assessment Institute, IUPUI, 25-27 October 2015.
  • “Professing the Pen: Teaching Graduate Nursing Students the Art of Writing,” CCCC, Tampa, FL, March 18-21, 2015.
  •  “A Dual Inhabitance: Cultural Negotiation in Native American Autobiography,” The Dialogue of Cultures/The Culture of Dialogue,” University of Ploieşti, Romania, November 2014.
  • “Clare, Agnes, and Agency from Suffering,” 11th Global Conference on Dying, Death, and Suffering, Prague, Czech Republic, November 2014.
  • Co-Presenter with Dr. John Gambro (Dean of Education, Joliet), “The Franciscan Toolkit,” AFCU, Neumann University, June 2014.
  • Co-Presenter with Dr. Deborah Vargo, “Professing the Pen: Teaching Graduate Nursing Students the Art of Writing,” AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing), 2014 Master’s Education Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, February 27-March 1, 2014.
  • Participant Idea Exchange Presented, NITOP (National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology), “Teaching to the New Generation of Emerging Adults: Seeking Wisdom from Erik Erikson,” Tampa, FL, January 2014.
  • Paper Presented, MMLA (Midwest Modern Language Association), “Levinas and Francis: Radical Ethics for Radical Times,” Milwaukee, WI, November 2013.
  • Paper Presented, CCCC (Conference on College Composition and Communication), “Band of Brothers: The Public Service of Composition,” Las Vegas, Nevada, April 2013.
  • Co-Presenter with Kathleen Jenks, nursing, “Assessing on Native Time,” Assessment Institute of IUPUI, Indiana University-Purdue University Indiana International Conference on how to assess interdisciplinary courses, November 2012
  • Paper Presented: “Bridging ‘That Gap’: Filling the Disconnect Students Feel in Online Learning,” with Patricia Oedy-Murray and Jessica Sanderson,  Ohio E-tech Conference, Columbus, Ohio, 2010
  • Paper Accepted: “Bridging ‘That Gap’: Filling the Disconnect Students Feel in Online Learning,” with Patricia Oedy-Murray and Jessica Sanderson, CiTE eCollege Users Conference, Denver, CO, April 2009
  • Paper Accepted: “Coded Coloraturas and Ordinary Overtures: The Female “Voice” in Opera,” PCA/ACA Conference, New Orleans, LA, April 2009
  • Paper Accepted: “Radical Mutation: Medical Chimeras in Atomic Culture,” with James Bier, Professor of Biology, Film and History Conference, Chicago, IL, October 2008
  • Paper Accepted: with Garrick Ducat, “Mercy in a Virtual World: The Second Life Project,” International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2008
  • Paper Presented: “Teaching Levinasian Ethics through the Humanities for Health Care Students,” Central States Communication Association Conference, Madison, WI, 8-12 April 2008
  • Paper Presented: “After Katrina: Virtual Connections for Collaborative Learning,” Conference on College Composition and Communication, New Orleans, LA, 2-6 April 2008
  • Paper Presented: “Divas Undone: The Errant Heroine as Transgressive Monster,” At the Interface: Fifth Global Conference, Monsters and the Monstrous: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil, Oxford, England, September 2007
  • Paper Presented: Round Table, “Empathetic Opportunities and Ethical Imperatives: Changing How and What We Teach Post-Katrina,” 38th Annual College English Association Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, April 12-14, 2007
  • Paper Presented: “The Use of Humor in Digital Humanities,” Conference for Internet Technology in Education, March 28-30, 2007
  • Paper Accepted: “Teaching Moment/Learning Moment: Teaching Katrina Through Cross-Institutional Technologies,” Louisiana Conference on College Composition, November 2-4, 2006
  • Paper accepted: “Writing Against and Beyond the Curriculum: DIY Composing as Institutional Critique and Creative Expression,” co-presenter with Dr. Doreen Piano, Modern Language Association, Rocky Mountain region, September 2005
  • Co-Presenter: “I Cannot Grow Old In Salem’s Back Lot,” American Culture/American Popular Culture Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, September 2004
  • Co-Presenter, Panel Chair: “Abject Mothers, Evil Daughters, and Paternal Authority in Post-War ‘Women’s Films,’” Session Title: Woman Viewing/ Woman Viewed: Female Authority in the Shadow of the Patriarch, Fourth Biennial Feminism/s and Rhetoric/s Conference, Ohio State University, October 23-25, 2003
  • Co-Presenter: “Blame It on Mama: Kristevan Readings of Pre and Post War Film Noir,” 25th Anniversary of Colloquium in Literature and Film, West Virginia University, October 2002

Invited Speaker

  • Franciscan Chair Lecture. “Clare, Agnes, and Leadership Shaped by Suffering.” Lourdes University, 8 April 2015.
  • Lourdes Alumni Dinner, 2015.
  • Administrative Assistants Annual Luncheon, Spring 2015.
  • Commencement Speaker, Lourdes Graduate School Graduation, December 2014.
  • Workshop Presenter/Creator: “Teaching to Course Outcomes: A presentation for Cleary
  • University Educators,” Cleary University, 2012 February.
  • Guest Speaker. “Band of Cousins: Nurturing Veterans’ Writing in the Community,” Sylvania Rotary. 11 August 2011.
  • Presentation: “Mercy in a Virtual World: The Second Life Project,” Ohio Learning Network Regional Fall Kickoff, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, September 2008.
  • Guest Lecture: “Divas Undone,” Toledo Opera Guild, January 2008
  • Summer Programme Visiting Lecturer: “The Controversies of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela and the Rise of the Novel,” Exeter College, Oxford University, Oxford, England, July 2005.

Boards and Editorial Review

  • U.S. National Delegate for the journal Filozofski pogledi / Philosophical Views in Belgrade, 2016-present.
  • Educators Focus Group, Toledo Strategic Plan for Arts and Culture, 2014-2015
  • Member, International Authors Editorial Board, 2012-present
  • Argument Today with Readings, Richard Johnson-Sheehan & Charles Paine, eds., Review Board, 2013-2015
  • Rhizomes: Culture Studies in Emerging Knowledge, Editorial Advisory Board, 2006-present
  • Textbook reviewer, Cengage, Houghton Mifflin, and Prentice; reviewer for philosophy book on Mulholland Drive, Rutgers UP, 2012-2013
  • Collegiate Press Editorial Advisory Board, 1998-2008

Recent Grants Awarded

  • State Appropriations Grant, $325,000, 2016
  • OMIC III, Diverse Foundations for a Diverse Workforce, $38,000, 2016
  • Flower Hospital Auxiliary, $35,000 for Lourdes Science Lab Renovations Project, 2015.
  • Ohio Means Internships and Co-ops Grant, $111,000 for biology internships (with University of Toledo), 2014.

Select Service Projects

  • National judge, National Council of Teachers of English 2016 Norman Mailer Writing Award for Middle School and High School Teachers, August 2016
  • National Judge, National Council of Teachers of English 2016 Norman Mailer High School and College Student Writing Awards
  • Judge, 23rd Annual Health Care Speech Competition, ProMedica Flower Hospital Auxiliary, April 2016
  • Lourdes University, Presidential Search Committee, 2016
  • National Judge, National Council of Teachers of English 2015 Norman Mailer Writing Award for Middle and High School Teachers, 2015
  • Young Artists At Work program, Mentor, Toledo, OH, summer, 2014
  • Judge, 22nd Annual Health Care Speech Competition, ProMedica Flower Hospital Auxiliary, April 30, 2014
  • Judge, Young Artists At Work returning apprentice positions, April 2014
  • National judge, National Council of Teachers of English 2014 Norman Mailer Writing Award for Middle School and High School Teachers, August 2014
  • Regional judge, Power of the Pen 2014 high school writing competition
  • Coordinator, Lourdes University Honors Program, 2013-2014
  • Lourdes Service Learning Trip, San Pedro Sula/El Ocotillo, Honduras, March 2013
  • Co-Chair, with Todd Matthews, Faculty-Staff Campaign, Fall 2012
  • Advisor, LAASA, Lourdes Arab American Student Association, 2011-2013
  • Co-Chair, with Todd Matthews, Faculty-Staff Campaign, Fall 2012
  • Co-Advisor, Literati, Literature and English Student Association, 2012
  • Judge, Lourdes One-Act Play competition, 2011-2012, 2012-2013
  • Habitat Blitz Builds, 2002-present
  • Celebrity Reader for “Let’s Read! You and Me,” program through United Way 2007-2009.

Recent Honors

  • 2015 Franciscan Award, Sisters of Saint Francis, 2015
  • Endowed Chair of Franciscan Integration, Lourdes University, Sylvania, Ohio, 2013-2015
  • Nominee, Lourdes Faculty Excellence Award, Spring 2013

Memberships

  • American Council of Academic Deans
  • American Society for the History of Rhetoric
  • The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • Modern Language Association
  • National Council of Teachers of English
  • Phi Kappa Phi
  • Rhetoric Society of America
  • Toledo Community Foundation

Recent Positions

  • Accreditation Liaison Officer, HLC, Lourdes University 2013-present
  • Dean’s Scholars Program, Director, Lourdes University, 2015-present
  • Faculty Advisor, Lourdes University, 2014-present.
  • Coordinator, Lourdes University Honors Program, 2013-2014

Recent Curriculum Development

  • Exercise Science Program Developer, with Dr. Anjali Gray, 2015-2016
  • College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Scholars Program Developer, 2015-2016.
  • Revision of Music Minor, with Jim Murray, 2016
  • Public Health Major, co-developer, 2014-2015
  • Lourdes University, Chair, Honors Task Force, 2011-2014
  • J-Term Course Developer, 2013
  • Service Learning Interdisciplinary Course, Native American Health Care with Mercy College and Turtle Mountain Reservation- Ojibwa Nation, July 2011
  • Co-Professor, Lourdes Pre-Nursing Learning Community, 2009-2013

Select Courses Developed and Taught

  • MLS 645: Interdisciplinary Seminar II: The Problem of Narrative
  • ENG 670: Graduate Nursing Writing Preparation
  • ENG 316: Foundations of Rhetoric
  • ENG 470: Writing in the HealthCare Professions