Sponsored Institutions - Stories

By Liesel Riggs
Interim Director of Marketing and Communications, Siena Heights University

April 22, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – Siena Heights University is excited to announce and welcome three new employees to leadership positions on the Adrian campus. 

 “Siena Heights University is so blessed to welcome these three competent, committed, and innovative women to our university community,” said Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD, President. “We all look forward to working with them!”

Emily Barnes, MLS, EdD, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Emily served as the 11th president (interim) of Cleary University in Howell, Michigan, and was the University’s first female provost and first female interim president. 

She acquired her doctorate in higher education leadership from Maryville University, St. Louis, and completed graduate studies in library and information science at Indiana University’s School of Informatics and Computing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities and philosophy from Indiana University. 
 
Emily assumed her first faculty appointment in 2010 and continues to serve as the program chair for graduate leadership programs. She was an academic entrepreneur for six years before joining Cleary’s leadership team, implementing digital education, learning management systems, technical infrastructure, and online training programs for a variety of colleges and universities.
 
She specializes in organizational strategy, data analytics, education technology, systems infrastructure, learning and curriculum design, and inclusive pedagogy. 
 
Emily is known as the academic thought leader behind The Cleary Mind™. She is passionate about creating change in higher education and inspiring academic leaders to push the envelope and to bring a fresh look at education. She will begin her new role as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs on July 5.

Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Currently, Susan is the Chair of the English Department and Director of the Digital and Media Studies program at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. She will begin her new role as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences on July 11. 

Her development of the Digital and Media Studies program was a notable accomplishment, demonstrating her approach to curriculum development and student-centered education. This interdisciplinary program was designed with core study in a liberal arts field contextualized by theory and practice in technology.

In more than 15 years at Lourdes, Susan has served in a wide range of capacities to benefit the institution, and her university service demonstrates her commitment to shared governance and faculty-driven initiatives. She served as the faculty eLearning coordinator and was elected Faculty Senate President three consecutive years. She has chaired the Rank and Promotion Committee, the General Education Revision Taskforce, and the Curriculum Committee. 

Susan earned her Ph.D. in British and American Literature from the University of Utah and her undergraduate degree in English and Mathematics from Cleveland State University.

Dr. Joanne Yastik, Director of Nursing
Joanne’s healthcare career spans 33 years, including 25 years of nursing education experience in clinical, classroom, and administrative roles. 

She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1989 at Mercy College of Detroit and her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nursing Administration at Madonna University, Livonia, Michigan, in 1997. She also holds a post-master’s certificate in Teaching in Nursing Education from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Joanne completed her PhD in Nursing at Wayne State University, Detroit, focusing her research on online health information searches. 

After 16 years in clinical practice, mainly in the Emergency Department and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) settings, Joanne pursued a faculty role at her alma mater, the University of Detroit-Mercy. She was an Assistant Professor there until 2012. 

During her academic career, Joanne taught various undergraduate nursing courses in ADN, BSN, second degree, and RN to BSN completion, in both face-to-face and online formats. She has served in a Director of Nursing role over the last seven years and obtained the National League for Nursing credential of Certified Nurse Educator in 2019. 

Joanne is member of the American Association of Men in Nursing, the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing Research Committee, and Michigan Council of Nursing Education Administrators. Her research interests include nursing education, National Council Licensure Examination success, and diversity in nursing.

As a lifelong learner, Joanne resonates with Siena Heights University's mission of assisting people, especially the future nursing workforce, to “become more competent, purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity of all.”  

"I am looking forward to becoming part of the community at Siena Heights University and making a positive impact on future nurses and the entire campus community," she said. She will begin her new role as Director of Nursing on May 2.

Siena Heights University is a Catholic university founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

 

Feature photo: From left, Emily Barnes, Susan Shelangoskie, and Joanne Yastik