Angela Frey Named Executive Director of Alverno’s CAE

Angela Frey, Ph.D., professor of biology and STEM Chair of the Natural Science, Mathematics and Technology Division, has been named executive director of Alverno College’s Center for Academic Excellence (CAE). She will assume the role on January 17.

Launched in fall 2015, the CAE offers student-faculty research fellowships, intensive courses, conference and study abroad experiences and fellowships, seminars, and a scholarship program for students demonstrating strong scholarly potential.

In her role, Frey will work to expand curricular and co-curricular opportunities for Alverno students and the wider community, as well as leverage the strengths of the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls, the Assessment and Outreach Center, the Thea Bowman Institute for Excellence and Leadership, and Institutional Effectiveness and Sponsored Programs.

"I am excited to lead the Center for Academic Excellence and to build off the momentum already in place,” said Frey. “I believe strongly in giving women opportunities for high-impact academic engagement, and this role will allow me to work with students across the college, expanding and building on the meaningful experiences created for women in STEM.”

Frey will continue the work begun by Jodi Eastberg, Ph.D., dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, and Laura Sear, MA, senior program director in the Alverno College School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives.

“Angela’s engagement in faculty-student research and student success-oriented programming and grant development make her the perfect choice to build upon the exceptional foundation put into place by Jodi and Laura,” said Joseph Foy, Ph.D., vice president for Academic Affairs. “I am grateful for the leadership that they provided and am excited about the future directions in which Angela will take the Center.”

Frey began teaching at Alverno in 2001, and in 2006 she became the campus liaison to the Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP), whose goal is to increase underrepresented students graduating in STEM and pursuing graduate degrees and STEM employment. Since 2008, Frey has received several grants, most recently a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the Alverno College Truchan STEM Community Impact Program and a $970,000 NSF scholarship grant for high-achieving, low-income STEM majors.

In collaboration with colleagues, Frey has also secured multiple grants from WiscAMP to support Alverno’s peer mentoring program, which she developed. Frey earned her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

About Alverno College

Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology, school psychology, music therapy, music and liturgy, and business are open to women and men.

A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The college, Wisconsin’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution, ranks among the top schools in the Midwest for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and innovation by U.S. News & World Report. For two years, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education named Alverno the country’s most inspiring college.

Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.