Carrie McLaughlin currently serves as the Dean of Students at Niagara University, a position she has held since 2011.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1995 from the University of Guelph, in Ontario Canada, and her Master’s degree in College Student Personnel at Miami University of Ohio in 1997.  Carrie worked in Residence Life at Colgate University for four years upon completing her graduate degree and later attended Syracuse University, where she is a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration.  After leaving Syracuse, Carrie served as Director of Student Life at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore for five years before joining the staff at Niagara.

 

 

Throughout my career, I have sought positions at small, private colleges as I value the student-centered collaborative partnerships that can be developed in such campus communities.  Being Canadian, I was drawn to Niagara University not just because of its size but also because of its location and identity as a bi-national institution.  Most importantly, I wanted to continue working in a Catholic institution where I could help students reflect on their experiences and the ways in which our mission might influence their own intellectual, spiritual and personal development.

 

 

Having worked in Catholic higher education for the past nine years, I have gained a greater appreciation for Catholic teaching, ritual and tradition which has inspired me both personally and professionally.   I am excited to have the opportunity to engage and reflect with colleagues from each of the Vincentian institutions, and to learn from one another’s experiences.  I was honored to be selected to participate in the VMI and I look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of who St. Vincent DePaul was and to further explore what is unique to our Vincentian heritage.   I also look forward to growing personally from the VMI as I continue on my own faith journey, but most importantly how I might carry all of these insights into the areas that I supervise, and share them with the staff and students with whom I work.