Honors College gets new dean in Alison McCartney

By Theresa Pratt, staff writer

Alison McCartney PhD, an employee of Towson University since 2001 began her tenure as the new dean of the Towson University Honors College this July. 

McCartney started at Towson as an assistant professor eventually becoming a full time professor of political science and a faculty director of the honors college since 2014. Since then, she has served in several other positions including being a former director of international studies and the co-founder and co-director of the Towson University Baltimore County Public Schools model-UN program. 

McCartney was appointed as the new dean in May 2024 but didn’t start serving in the role until July.

“I wound up coming across this path accidentally. This is where I always tell students that when opportunity comes knocking, say yes. You never know where it is going to take you. I believe in May of 2014, the then dean of the honors college left the university suddenly. Dr. Terry Cooney, who was at that time the dean of the college of liberal arts at the time, was tapped by the university to also add to the honors college,” McCartney said. 

“He was also looking for somebody to be in this new position called faculty director, which is kind of like a mix of being a department chair and an associate dean…he asked me to do it for just one year as he was going to do it for just one year as a fill-in while the university engaged in a search process. And I thought, ‘Well, I never thought of doing this,” McCartney said.

McCartney’s time working temporarily for the honors college extended. She then gained and served in a permanent position as faculty director for nine and a half years. The opportunity was then presented to her to apply as dean of the honors college.

“What I am looking forward to the most are the students. The whole reason for doing this job is an investment in undergraduate students. They’re go-getters, they enjoy intellectual challenge, and they understand the need to learn beyond your own major, and that’s what we offer,” McCartney said.

Terry Cooney, a director of the honors college, has been working at TU since 2006 and is in the process of preparing for retirement. McCartney and Cooney met for the first time in 2006 but have been working together regarding the honors college since 2014.

“I met her first when I became dean and she was a faculty member in political science in the college of liberal arts where I was a dean…she is very enthusiastic about helping students achieve things in relation to their own goals and particularly in relation to academic goals,” Cooney said.

Two other colleagues of McCartney’s, Honors College Faculty Director Michael Elliott and Chair of the Department of Chemistry John Sivey, echoed similar sentiments.

“Dean McCartney is one of the most committed people to students on campus that I have ever met. I think she is also ambitious and pushes her students to reach higher heights. So she is demanding but in a good way,” Elliott said.

“There are several [standout qualities about McCartney]. One would be visionary leadership. The other would be enthusiasm or academic excellence among students generally and in honors. Also, Dr. McCartney is a bridge builder among different academic units across campus,” Sivey said.

When asked about what she would like to bring to the honors college through her new position, McCartney said that she would like to develop the college’s presence at a more national level. She shared that three students will be taken to the annual National Honors Council conference in Kansas City. 

She would also like to bring in more faculty across campus to start teaching in honors. 

“We are looking for the best that Towson has to offer. We have some fabulous teachers here at Towson University and I’m looking to create mechanisms to bring more of them into the honors college family. This will provide more opportunities for honors college students for both classroom opportunities and in experiential and advanced learning as they’re able to develop the mentoring relationships that are so vital for success in college,” McCartney said.

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