Dr. Patricia Kelvin has been appointed the coordinator of teaching and learning at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa.

GREENVILLE, PA – Thiel College’s new Center for Learning & Advising (CLA) now has a complete staff. Dr. Oscar T. Lenning, director of the CLA, announced the appointment of Dr. Patricia Kelvin as the coordinator of teaching and learning.

“The coordinator of teaching and learning is an integral part of the CLA staff,” said Lenning. “After a careful search, I am confident that we have found the best candidate for the position in Dr. Kelvin. She will be an invaluable resource to the Thiel College faculty.”

As the coordinator of teaching and learning, Kelvin’s responsibilities will include one-on-one consultation with faculty as well as developing and offering seminars to those teaching first-year courses to increase student engagement and incorporate relevant technology into the classroom. This position will play an important role in meeting the CLA’s goal of increasing first-year student retention and satisfaction, says Lenning. In time, Kelvin’s role will expand to include curriculum design for all levels of coursework at Thiel.

Kelvin comes to Thiel after four years as an associate professor of communication at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she also worked with faculty to develop service learning opportunities for students.

Previously, Kelvin worked for seven years as an editorial writer and a member of the editorial board for The Vindicator newspaper in Youngstown, Ohio, and for three years she worked as an assistant professor of English at Youngstown State University.

She also has extensive experience as a public relations practitioner, a medical writer and editor, and a freelance writer. She has edited books, co-authored a book, “Strategies and Resources for Teaching Writing,” as well as book reviews and journal articles, and has presented at numerous professional conferences.

Kelvin holds a Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in English from Humboldt State University, and a B.S. in international agricultural development from the University of California at Davis. She also has done graduate work in microbiology at San Francisco State University.

Kelvin is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. A native of London, England, she lives in Poland, Ohio.

Thiel College, a liberal arts, sciences and professional studies college related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was founded in western Pennsylvania in 1866.

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