Trocaire Welcomes New Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Allyson Lowe Brings Mercy Mindset, 15 Years of Experience in Academic Leadership
Dr. Allyson M. Lowe, formerly of Carlow University in Pittsburgh, has been named Trocaire College’s Vice President for Academic Affairs effective Sept. 4, 2018.
A sister Mercy institution, Carlow has seen Lowe serve as dean of its College of Leadership & Social Change since 2014, managing more than 20 graduate, undergraduate and certificate programs operating in various formats for a diverse student body. Previously, she taught in and chaired the university’s Department of Political Science.
To her new role as VPAA at Trocaire, Lowe brings a commitment to creative innovation, cross-program collaboration and community partnerships, and a learner-centered approach to student success. Over the course of her 15-year career in higher education, she has overseen multiple accreditation processes, high-level academic restructuring and development of new curriculums, programs and funding solutions.
She also maintains an active scholarly presence, reflecting on higher education administrative practice and the scholarship of teaching and learning as well as her academic disciplinary area in applied politics.
“Allyson brings years of strategic leadership in a Mercy environment and a unique vision of Trocaire’s immense potential,” said Trocaire President Bassam M. Deeb. “We are looking forward to her ideas and expertise as we move the college into the future and strengthen our position in the Western New York higher education landscape.”
Prior to her tenure at Carlow, Lowe worked at Chatham University, holding the Elsie Hillman Chair and then for five years leading the Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy. She received a doctorate and a master’s degree in political science from Ohio State University, where she specialized in comparative politics and women’s studies, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Miami University in Ohio.
Lowe was included in Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best Professors in Pittsburgh” list in Pittsburgh Magazine and also its 40 Under 40 top young professionals in 2009; she also won the Sisters of Mercy Award for Excellence in Advising in 2014.
She is eager to begin work in Buffalo, and thrilled to continue her career in Trocaire’s Mercy environment.
“Trocaire’s focus on programs that prepare students for the crucial fields of healthcare, business and technology has positioned the college to respond to a very real regional workforce need,” Lowe said. “I am excited to deepen the interplay of these areas in the market and explore new possibilities with community partners, while working within and through our Mercy values.”