The Online Reflector

Stephanie Kelly, a former University of Indianapolis professor, director of clinical education and acting dean, was chosen to become the permanent dean for the College of Health Sciences, which also includes the School of Occupational Therapy and the Krannert School of Physical Therapy.

Kelly’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees are both from UIndy. She received her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University in 2008. She had been serving as the acting dean for the College of Health Sciences since Nov. 1, 2009.

Kelly said that she became interested in the permanent position from serving as acting dean.
“It was somewhat an unexpected opportunity that came up a year ago that I stepped into, not knowing what to expect or what I would think of the role. And through the course [of] getting to know that role, I decided that I wanted to apply for the position,” Kelly said.

A search committee that represented the College of Health Sciences received applications, evaluated them and hosted the finalists on campus.

They then sent a list of the individuals they saw acceptable to fill the position to Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Deborah Balogh, who then selected Kelly from that list.

“We had a reasonable list of applicants that brought various credentials to the process,” Balogh said. “One of the things that typically happens in a search is that you get candidates who are strong in one area and not strong in another and so we didn’t see a lot of applicants who were similar in that they had the same strengths and weaknesses. So it really required that the committee think through what were the priority needs for the unit and then match those up with the people who had the right qualifications.”

Balogh said that Kelly’s already internal affiliation with the school had no effect on her getting the position. Balogh believes that she hired the right person for the position.

“She had the right combination of teaching credentials, scholarly credentials and management experience and clinical experience that I felt would serve the needs of the unit best at this time,” Balogh said.

Executive Director of Administrative Affairs for the College of Health Sciences Anne Hardwick said that Kelly stepped easily into the position.

“I think it’s really cool that she was a student and a faculty member at UIndy,” Hardwick said. “She just had so many connections, and it made her a natural fit for the position.”
Balogh agreed that Kelly is a natural fit for the position.

“She hit the ground running,” Balogh said. “She’s a valued member of our academic leadership team and a great contributor. I think that she’s remained faithful to the goal of working well to build her team in its capacity to consult with them and to really move the college forward in positive ways.”