Campus Dean
Catherine Cardwell holds a dual appointment as the Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Campus Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. She is the co-editor of Leading Change in Academic Libraries (ACRL, 2020), a collection of change stories analyzing strategic planning, reorganizations, technology, new roles for librarians, and organizational culture change at 20 academic libraries across the country. Colleagues have recognized her effectiveness as a collaborator who works effectively across constituencies to achieve results.
As Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at USF St. Petersburg, Cardwell’s responsibilities include budget planning and oversight for Academic Affairs ($36M), planning for consolidation efforts at the University of South Florida, and collaboration with campus leadership on educational, research, and outreach goals. She was on numerous consolidation committees, as the three individually accredited University of South Florida institutions (Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee) consolidated into one single accredited institution.
As Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, Cardwell initiated a textbook affordability program with print textbooks on reserve and subscription ebooks, saving students an estimated $1M from fall 2017 to spring 2020. She also led an effort to preserve, digitize, and sustain The Weekly Challenger, a local African-American newspaper. The Library received $300,000 from the Florida State Legislature to support the project. As a result, the Library now serves as the newspaper’s archive for current electronic issues and the digitized historical print issues and documents the African-American experience in St. Petersburg.
Cardwell led the library strategic planning efforts on the St. Petersburg campus before the USF consolidation. As a result of that work, she advanced plans to improve spaces in the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library in what is projected to be a $2.5M renovation. She secured a $250,000 cash gift to support the renovation and managed a $1M estate gift that was already in hand, as well.
Prior to joining USF St. Petersburg, Cardwell was a co-Principal Investigator or team member on grants totaling $1.69M. She served as library director at Ohio Wesleyan University and in various leadership roles at Bowling Green State University. Because of her leadership experience at different types of universities—a public doctoral university with high research activity, a small private university, a comprehensive regional university, and now a Research 1 university—she has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in academic libraries and higher education.
Throughout her career, Cardwell has focused on leading and managing change in academic libraries, strengthening the library’s role in teaching and learning, and creating dynamic and contemporary user-centered teaching and learning spaces. She serves as a mentor for early and mid-career librarians transitioning into leadership positions.
Cardwell earned her bachelor’s degree in English and French from Youngstown State University, a master’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in Library Science from Kent State University.
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About Catherine Cardwell
Catherine Cardwell holds a dual appointment as the Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Campus Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. She is the co-editor of Leading Change in Academic Libraries (ACRL, 2020), a collection of change stories analyzing strategic planning, reorganizations, technology, new roles for librarians, and organizational culture change at 20 academic libraries across the country. Colleagues have recognized her effectiveness as a collaborator who works effectively across constituencies to achieve results.
As Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at USF St. Petersburg, Cardwell’s responsibilities include budget planning and oversight for Academic Affairs ($36M), planning for consolidation efforts at the University of South Florida, and collaboration with campus leadership on educational, research, and outreach goals. She was on numerous consolidation committees, as the three individually accredited University of South Florida institutions (Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee) consolidated into one single accredited institution.
As Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, Cardwell initiated a textbook affordability program with print textbooks on reserve and subscription ebooks, saving students an estimated $1M from fall 2017 to spring 2020. She also led an effort to preserve, digitize, and sustain The Weekly Challenger, a local African-American newspaper. The Library received $300,000 from the Florida State Legislature to support the project. As a result, the Library now serves as the newspaper’s archive for current electronic issues and the digitized historical print issues and documents the African-American experience in St. Petersburg.
Cardwell led the library strategic planning efforts on the St. Petersburg campus before the USF consolidation. As a result of that work, she advanced plans to improve spaces in the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library in what is projected to be a $2.5M renovation. She secured a $250,000 cash gift to support the renovation and managed a $1M estate gift that was already in hand, as well.
Prior to joining USF St. Petersburg, Cardwell was a co-Principal Investigator or team member on grants totaling $1.69M. She served as library director at Ohio Wesleyan University and in various leadership roles at Bowling Green State University. Because of her leadership experience at different types of universities—a public doctoral university with high research activity, a small private university, a comprehensive regional university, and now a Research 1 university—she has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in academic libraries and higher education.
Throughout her career, Cardwell has focused on leading and managing change in academic libraries, strengthening the library’s role in teaching and learning, and creating dynamic and contemporary user-centered teaching and learning spaces. She serves as a mentor for early and mid-career librarians transitioning into leadership positions.
Cardwell earned her bachelor’s degree in English and French from Youngstown State University, a master’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Pittsburgh, and a master’s degree in Library Science from Kent State University.
| 2016 - Present | Regional Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Campus Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, University of South Florida | |
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Disciplines
Research Interests
Honors and Awards
- Digital Collections: From Projects to Pedagogy and Scholarship. Steering Committee Member & Local Project Coordinator. A collaborative $750,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant to the Five Colleges of Ohio.
- Next Generation Library. Steering Committee Member & Local Project Coordinator. A collaborative $600,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant to the Five Colleges of Ohio.
- Ohio Board of Regents' Technology Initiatives Content Grant. Collaborated with BGSU's CTLT and Kent State University’s Libraries and Faculty Development Center. ($343,000)
- University Community Fellowship Award. Department of Higher Education & Student Affairs.
- Formal Commendation from members of the Connecting the Undergraduate Experience Committee.
- Omicron Delta Kappa,
| M.L.S., Kent State University | ||
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| M.A., University of Pittsburgh ‐ French Language and Literature | ||
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| B.A., Youngstown State University ‐ English and French | ||
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Links
Email:
