Welcome Jim Howley as Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dear MCAD community,

After a national search, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Jim Howley will become Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs on June 1, 2026.

Beyond his three years as Director of Accreditation and Assessment at MCAD, Dr. Howley brings many years of experience to the College. He has engaged with the Higher Learning Commission as an Accreditation Liaison Officer, member of their Lumina Foundation grant funded Innovation Zone, and a participant in a number of their workshops. Jim also collaborated with faculty and staff on program assessment and additional specialized program accreditations and recognitions. He has served previously as a faculty member, director, chair, dean, and interim vice president. Former institutional affiliations include the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Governors State University, and City Colleges of Chicago. Jim earned his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his master's degree from Ohio State University, and his bachelor's degree from DePaul University. He has lived most of his life in Chicago, where he was born, but he now lives happily in Richfield with his husband, a rescue great dane, and two insolent cats.

Thank you to all community members who participated in the search process and especially those who served on the search committee, including River Gordon, Registrar; Khendum Gyabak, Director of Teaching and Learning Excellence; Mary Kettlewell, Director of Academic Administration; Don Myhre, Senior Director of Academic Support; and Gerald Ronning, Professor and Chair of Liberal Arts.

All of my best,

Melissa Rands