Carolyn J. Stefanco (born 1957) is a former American professor and academic administrator.

Early life and education

Stefanco was raised in North Jersey and is the first member of her family to attend college. Stefanco earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

, a Master of Arts in women's history from

Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university with campuses in Binghamton, New York, Binghamton, Vestal, New York, Vestal, and Johnson City, New Yor ...

, and a PhD in history from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

Career

Stefanco worked as an assistant professor at

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

. She then moved to

California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...

, where she became a tenured professor, chair of the history department, and director of the women's studies program. Stefanco then served as vice president for academic affairs at

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

and as the founding dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at California State University, Stanislaus. Stefanco was selected as the 11th President of the

College of Saint Rose The College of Saint Rose is a private Roman Catholic college in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a women's college. It became fully co-educational in 1969; the following year, the college ad ...

in April 2014 and took office on July 1, 2014. During Stefanco's tenure, the college developed new degree programs, including cybersecurity, musical performance, and specialized computer science offerings. Amid budget cuts, Stefanco also reduced funding for several departments, and eliminated the philosophy, American studies, sociology, and economics programs. After several programs were eliminated, Stefanco faced a vote of no confidence in 2016, though she remained in her position. That same year, the college was also censured by the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership includes over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations. The AAUP's stated mission is ...

. On March 3, 2020, the college announced that Stefanco would step down as president of the College of Saint Rose effective June 30, 2020. She was succeeded by interim president Marcia White. The College of Saint Rose closed at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, citing years of financial struggle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanco, Carolyn J. Binghamton University alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni Duke University alumni California Polytechnic State University faculty Wheaton College (Massachusetts) faculty American people of Italian descent Agnes Scott College faculty College of Saint Rose Living people Heads of universities and colleges in the United States 1957 births California State University, Stanislaus faculty