Campus Update
Dr. Carlota Ocampo Appointed Provost
President McGuire announced the appointment of Dr. Carlota Ocampo as Trinity’s new provost in December 2014, after she served as interim provost for six months. She first joined the Trinity community in 1997, as a member of the faculty in psychology and has served in several administrative positions since 2008.
“Dr. Ocampo brings the reputation, knowledge and experience that are essential for an effective chief academic officer,” said President McGuire. “She is a respected scholar with an impressive list of academic publications on racist-incident based trauma and on ethnicity, gender and disease. She has also been an important national contributor to educational programs on pedagogical reform and the changing student population. She is an advocate for the advancement of women and students who have been marginalized by race or ethnicity or other characteristics, economics or family responsibilities or abilities. At Trinity, she enjoys the high regard and collegial acclaim of faculty, staff and students.”
Ocampo is a summa cum laude graduate of Howard University in psychology, where she also earned her master’s and doctorate in neuropsychology. At Trinity, she chaired the psychology program and human relations program and contributed significantly to pedagogical innovations, collegial faculty development and student development. She moved into administration in 2008 as associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences where she supervised the first-year experience program and academic advising. She became associate provost for academic assessment in 2013 as Trinity began to focus on preparing its self-study for Middle States accreditation. She served on numerous Middle States accreditation teams with distinction and is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology.
“Dr. Ocampo brings to the considerable duties of the provost a strong sense of academic excellence, high standards for honesty and integrity, clear commitment to social justice and an ardent passion to make Trinity students even more successful in all of our programs,” said President McGuire. “As we plan for the opening of the Trinity Academic Center in 2016, I think of all the challenges and opportunities that we will have with new laboratories and classrooms, and I am very glad to know that Dr. Ocampo and our very talented deans will be working with our great faculty and students to shape Trinity’s academic and intellectual future.”
“I feel so fortunate to serve at an institution with such a strong and articulated sense of mission,” said Ocampo. “My vision and philosophy of education are consistent with the values of Trinity. I have a strong commitment to the democratization of education and the limitless possibility of the power of educational transformation as a force for positive social change. At Trinity, we transform students’ lives in positive and powerful ways and I am honored to be part of this great campus community.”
President McGuire Participates in White House Summit
Trinity President Patricia McGuire was invited to participate in the White House College Opportunity Day of Action, a major summit of college and university presidents, K-12 educators, and business and nonprofit leaders convened by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in December 2014. During the summit, which focused on expanding access to higher education and improving completion of college degrees, President McGuire was featured on a panel, “Customizing Completion: The Campus Perspective.” Each higher education institution participating in the White House Summit made commitments to expand access to education. President McGuire announced two new commitments at the summit, both focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math): One commitment is a partnership with D.C. Public Schools to improve persistence and completion for students intending to major in nursing, other healthcare and STEM fields; the second initiative is to increase STEM enrollment, persistence and completion for low-income African-American and Latina women.
President McGuire was interviewed by many reporters about the White House Summit, resulting in extensive quotes in: The Washington Post; Politico; two articles in the Chronicle of Education; and Marketplace Radio, broadcast nationally on public radio stations. Read excerpts of the media coverage, her reflections on the White House Summit and Trinity’s commitments to expanding access to higher education
“Empathy is Essential for Justice”
The Honorable Liana Fiol Matta ’67, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, gave compelling remarks to students, faculty, staff and alumnae in November. She emphasized the importance of empathy among judges and lawyers, and the critical need to ensure access to the justice system for everyone – especially those who are under-served. Fiol Matta was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in spring 2014 after serving as an associate justice for ten years. She is pictured here (second from left) with classmates who attended her lecture. Read more about her in Notables, and read and watch her remarks.