McQuarie honored for adroitness as BGSU leader

Dr. Donald McQuarie (right) accepts the director award from Dr. Kristine Blair, vice chair of Faculty Senate.

BOWLING GREEN, O.—“While the job of a departmental chair is challenging—now more so than ever—it pales in comparison to the complexities involved in successfully managing an interdisciplinary program—and a graduate program at that,” wrote Dr. Ellen Berry, a Bowling Green State University professor of English. And yet, she and others said, Dr. Donald McQuarie, director of the American Culture Studies (ACS) Program, has managed to be “a genuine leader who has directed the program with modesty, integrity and grace” for 10 years, building it into a signature program in the humanities at BGSU.

In recognition of his achievements, McQuarie was presented the Recognition for Chair/School/Director Leadership at the March 22 Faculty Awards Dinner, and with it, $1,000 and a commemorative plaque. McQuarie will retire in May after 37 years at the University.

Working with the meager resources interdisciplinary programs typically receive, McQuarie has used “wit, charm and diplomatic skills” to secure a talented and committed group of jointly appointed faculty, said Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse, an associate professor and chair of the ethnic studies department. “Good leaders lead by example, and Prof. McQuarie has always followed this rule,” bearing more than his share of the load, Messer-Kruse added.

“Don has been a patient and generous mentor of faculty regardless of their gender, age or racial and ethnic background,” said Dr. Radhika Gajjala, interim director of the Women’s Studies Program.

In 2007, an external review team credited McQuarie with much of the program’s stature and praised him for his superb leadership. In the Ph.D. program, “high graduation, employment and publication rates of program graduates indicate they are well served while here,” said Dr. Andrew Schocket, an associate professor of history. In addition, the undergraduate program in ACS was recently recognized as one of the best across the University at evaluating student success and modifying its curriculum accordingly, Schocket noted.

“Within the unit, Don’s leadership in terms of maintaining shared governance, open communication and fostering a collegial atmosphere have made ACS a welcoming unit in which faculty and students willingly work together to achieve academic excellence,” Schocket summarized.

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(Posted March 23, 2010 )