AROUND THE QUAD
Honoring Our Retiring Academic Leaders
We extend our deepest gratitude to the members of the Stevenson community who retired this summer after decades of dedicated service to Villa Julie College and Stevenson University.
This summer, Susan T. Gorman, Ph. D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, retired following an extraordinary 34-year career with Villa Julie and Stevenson. Dr. Gorman’ s leadership helped shape many of Stevenson’ s signature academic programs and secured millions in grant funding for STEM and health sciences education, curricular enhancements, academic facilities, endowed professorships, and scholarships.
Susan T. Gorman
Dr. Gorman began her journey with Villa Julie College in 1991 as an adjunct faculty member, teaching courses from general biology to anatomy and physiology while directing student independent studies, internships, and senior projects. She went on to become the Founding Director of the Division of Science and Mathematics in 2001, was promoted to full professor in 2003, and became the founding Dean of the School of the Sciences in 2008. Her leadership roles continued to grow, culminating in her appointment as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost in 2016. While she has stepped down from this role, Dr. Gorman will remain connected to Stevenson as Provost Emerita, leaving behind a lasting legacy of commitment to enhancing students’ learning experiences.
Following Dr. Gorman’ s retirement, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Meredith Durmowicz, Ph. D. as Interim Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Durmowicz brings over two decades of dedicated service to Stevenson. With a B. S. in Biology from Marquette University and a Ph. D. from Johns Hopkins University, followed by postdoctoral research at the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Durmowicz joined Villa Julie College’ s faculty in 2002. Dr. Durmowicz’ service as a faculty member and academic administrator at Stevenson Dr. Meredith Durmowicz
spans more than two decades, starting as a faculty member of Villa Julie’ s Department of Biological Sciences in 2002. She served as Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, 2004- 2016; Director of the Honors Program, 2012-2013; Associate Dean of the School of the Sciences, 2012-2015; Dean of the Beverly K. Fine School of the Sciences, 2015-2022; and Interim Dean of the Sandra R. Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions, 2017-2022.
In July 2020, Dr. Durmowicz became Stevenson’ s Vice Provost of Sponsored Programs and Research, serving in this role until she was promoted to Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Research in July 2022. In July 2023, she was promoted to Vice Provost for Online Learning as well as Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Research. Her extensive leadership experience includes overseeing sponsored programs, research, online learning, and academic affairs. Dr. Durmowicz’ s broad expertise spans academic program development, accreditation, grant support, doctoral program leadership, and online education make her uniquely qualified to lead Stevenson’ s academic mission forward during this transition.
After 29 years of service to the university, Ellen Roskes, Ph. D., Professor and Dean, Beverly K. Fine School of the Sciences, retired at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
A highly accomplished administrator, talented faculty
Ellen Roskes, Ph. D. member, and valued colleague, Dr. Roskes joined Villa Julie College as an adjunct faculty member in 1996. She was hired as a full-time Assistant Professor a year later, and, in 2006, was promoted to Professor of Chemistry. When the Department of Chemistry was created in 2003, Dr. Roskes was named its first chair, and in 2013 was named Associate Dean for the School of the Sciences. As part of that role, she chaired both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Mathematics and Physics. In 2022, she was promoted to Dean of the Fine School of the Sciences, and during the 2024-2025 year served as Interim Dean of the Sandra R. Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions. Dr. Roskes’ many contributions as a faculty member, Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Dean have left an indelible mark on our community. We thank her for her commitment and wish her a fulfilling retirement!
4 | VENTURES / FALL 2025