Fairfield University Appoints Senior VP for Academic Affairs and VP for University Advancement
Fairfield, Connecticut (PRWEB) May 30, 2014 -- Following extensive national searches, Fairfield University announces the appointment of Dr. Lynn Babington as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Wally Halas as Vice President for University Advancement.
Dr. Lynn Babington has served as Dean of the School of Nursing at Fairfield University since 2012 and also holds an appointment as Professor of Nursing. She has extensive experience in academic, hospital, and clinical settings. Her new appointment took effect May 23, 2014. Wally Halas is currently Associate Vice President for Leadership Gifts at St. John’s University in New York City and brings more than 30 years of experience in fundraising and administration to his new role at Fairfield University. His appointment takes effect June 1, 2014.
“The selection of a chief academic officer is always important in the life of a university,” said the Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., Fairfield University President, “but at this particular time in higher education and Fairfield’s history as well, the selection has even greater significance. Dr. Lynn Babington received the Search Committee’s unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement.”
Before joining Fairfield University, Dr. Babington was Associate Professor, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs, and Director of the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at Northeastern University’s School of Nursing. She has lived and worked across the United States in a variety of academic and clinical settings. Dr. Babington has been the recipient of several honors and distinctions, including the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and multiple awards for excellence in teaching and the use of technology, and is widely respected and called upon for her expertise as a nursing educator and academic leader.
Dr. Babington holds a B.S.N. from the University of Michigan and a M.N. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.
At St. John’s University, Wally Halas has overseen the Office of Development and led the major gifts team on an interim basis. He also completed an interim role for the St. John’s School of Law as the executive director of Development and Alumni Relations. At Fairfield University, he will serve as the chief advancement officer, responsible for all development and alumni relations functions and activities, and the various offices and support services that comprise the Division.
“Wally Halas has extensive experience as both a development and fundraising professional and a leader and manager of people and organizations,” said University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. “He will be a member of my senior leadership team, and I look forward to working with him to engage our many alumni and friends who so generously support our University.”
Prior to his current position at St. John’s, Mr. Halas served as director of development-northeast for Marquette University, assistant vice president for development at St. John’s, major gifts officer at Clark University, and commissioner of the Scholar-Athlete Games and chief pperating officer of the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island. He also served as former head coach of men’s basketball at Columbia University and Clark University, where he also served as director of Athletics and Recreation. Mr. Halas has been selected to both the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Clark University Athletic Hall of Fame, and was recognized in 2007 by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports as a Community Leader.
Mr. Halas holds a B.A. in political science from Clark University, and a MPA with a concentration in higher education from Clark University. He is a native of the Town of Fairfield, Connecticut, and a graduate of Fairfield Prep.
Fairfield University is a Jesuit University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.
Michael Horyczun, Fairfield University, +1 (203) 254-4000 Ext: 2647, [email protected]
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