Gnadinger has been a member of Bellarmine鈥檚 education faculty since 2000 and had been serving as acting dean since last May. 鈥淎ll the qualities and habits required in this post have been abundantly evident in Dr. Gnadinger鈥檚 excellent service as acting dean,鈥� McGowan said in making the announcement. 鈥淪he has brought extraordinary energy, intelligence, resourcefulness, creativity, patience, humility and good humor to this important work,鈥� McGowan added.
According to McGowan, Gnadinger has demonstrated exceptional oversight of graduate and undergraduate programs, new program development, faculty recruitment and evaluation, and coordination for state and national accreditation reviews. She has attracted and/or worked on more than $2 million in grants so far in her career, her scholarship has been published internationally and most recently she brought state recognition for the university with our model Principal Leadership Program.
A graduate of Western Kentucky University with master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees from the University of Louisville, Gnadinger began her career as an elementary school teacher in Memphis, Tenn., and served in parochial and public classroom settings in Louisville and Shepherdsville before joining the University of Louisville in 1994 as an adjunct faculty member. When she joined Bellarmine鈥檚 faculty in 2000, she also took on the responsibilities of graduate director and helped develop new programs in reading endorsement and a master鈥檚 degree in instructional leadership.
Gnadinger has been recognized with awards such as the President鈥檚 Faculty Merit Award, Provost鈥檚 faculty Merit Award (both from Bellarmine and the Patriotic Employer Award from the Department of Defense.
Gnadinger will lead the School of Education with support from the associate dean, Dr. Anne Bucalos. 鈥淭here is no other individual with whom I鈥檇 rather work than Dr. Bucalos,鈥� Gnadinger said. 鈥淥ur shared leadership philosophy will help us meet the goals of Vision 2020.鈥�
The school of education offers four undergraduate and four graduate programs of study:
Undergraduate programs
Early Elementary Education, Grades P-5;
Middle Grade Education, Grades 5-9;
Secondary Education Grades 8-12;
Learning and Behavior Disorders, Grades P-12
Graduate programs
1. Master of arts in Education (M.A.Ed.)
Areas of Emphasis
鈥� Elementary Education, Grades P-5
鈥� Middle School Education, Grades 5-9
鈥� Learning and Behavior Disorders, Grades P-12
鈥� Reading and Writing Endorsement Grades P-12
鈥� Waldorf Inspired Courses
鈥� Instructional Leadership and School Administration (School Principal), Grades P-12
2. Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Areas of Emphasis
鈥� Elementary Education, Grades P-5
鈥� Middle School Education, Grades 5-9
鈥� Secondary Education, Grade 8-12
3. Learning and Behavior Disorders Certification, P-12
4. Rank I Post-Master鈥檚 Program
Bellarmine鈥檚 school of education is accredited by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) and is recognized throughout the region for producing outstanding teachers, a reputation that was earned through constant innovation and change.