Mary Ellen Duncan (August 29, 1941 – February 10, 2022) was an American academic administrator and teacher. She was a high school English and Latin teacher for nine years before becoming an academic administrator. Duncan served as interim president of

Catonsville Community College The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is a Public college, public community college in Baltimore County, Maryland, with three main campuses and three extension centers. Academics CCBC has more than 100 associate degree and certific ...

from 1990 to 1991. She was president of

State University of New York at Delhi The State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi or Delhi State College) is a public college in Delhi, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Over 3,000 students attend the institution. SUNY Delhi offers ...

before working as president of Howard Community College from 1998 to 2008.

Early life and education

Duncan born on August 29, 1941 and raised on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York. By third grade, Duncan knew she wanted to be a teacher. She graduated from West Islip High School in 1959. Duncan completed a B.S. at

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

in 1963. She was an English and Latin high school teacher for nine years.

Career

In 1975, Duncan taught at Tri-County Technical College. The next year, she worked for a community college consortium. Duncan earned a M.A. (1973) and Ph.D. (1982) in curriculum administration at the University of Connecticut. Her 1982 dissertation was titled ''Educational commitments and attitudes of part-time and full-time instructors in the two-year technical colleges in South Carolina''. Her doctoral advisor was Arthur D. Roberts. At

, Duncan was dean of planning and development for three years and interim president from 1990 to 1991. On September 1, 1991, Duncan succeeded Seldon M. Kruger as president of the

. During her tenure, she was head of the University Colleges of Technology, a collection of two-year technical colleges. Duncan established a bachelor's degree program in business administration in hospital management. She also increased Delhi's distance learning capabilities. Duncan established the office for business and industry relations. She worked with New York state senator

Charles D. Cook Sen. Charles D. Cook Charles David Cook (February 26, 1935 – May 23, 2001) was an American politician. He served in the New York State legislature for over 25 years. He was elected Senator in 1978. Biography Born in Deposit, New York, Cook g ...

to implement a gifted and talented program offering college-level courses to high school students. She served in this role until July 1, 1998. Duncan was succeeded by interim president Mary E. Rittling. In 1998, Duncan succeeded Dwight A. Burrill as the third president of Howard Community College. During her first 4.5 years, the college built a children's learning center for students with children, established the Silas Craft Collegians financial and social support program, renovated athletics facilities, and oversaw the construction of a $18.7 million dollar instructional lab building. By 2007, the college constructed four campus buildings. Duncan stepped down in June 2008 and was succeeded by

Kathleen Hetherington Kathleen Carey Hetherington is an American academic administrator. She was president of Howard Community College (HCC) from 2007 to 2021. Early life and education Kathleen Carey is a native of Philadelphia. She has five younger siblings. Heth ...

Personal life

Duncan died on February 10, 2022, at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Mary Ellen 1941 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators Presidents of campuses of the State University of New York People from West Islip, New York Schoolteachers from New York (state) 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American educators Place of birth unknown State University of New York at Delhi faculty St. John's University (New York City) alumni University of Connecticut alumni Women heads of universities and colleges