Faculty & Staff August Update
On this page, you will find the August 27, 2025 communication from President Dr. Lisa Lambert.
Faculty & Staff August Update
By Lisa Lambert / 27 August 2025
By Lisa Lambert / 27 August 2025
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We had a wonderful move-in day on Wednesday, August 20 for our new undergraduate students. The rain held off, and the families were so grateful for the assistance. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this day special.
The new semester started on Monday, August 25, and although the final counts won’t be in for a couple of weeks, we have around 650 new students (graduate and undergraduate) joining us this year. I’m happy to share that we have 18 new international students (up by four over last year) representing Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, Germany, Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, and S. Korea.
Much of the news for this month was covered in the Community Update on August 18. You can find a copy of the slides we used on the President’s Office page on myChatham.
Middle States: this is our accreditation year!
For more information, visit myChatham. Key dates include:
- Self-Study draft available to Chatham community (anticipated): September 8, 2025
- Deadline to submit penultimate draft of Self-Study Report: September 24, 2025
- Visit by Accreditation Visiting Team Chair, Dr. Elliott Hirshman: October 24, 2025
- Deadline to submit Final Self-Study Report: December 29, 2025
- Accreditation Visiting Team visit: March 8-11, 2025
Campus Community and Environment
- New members of the Chatham Community (starting in August):
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Please Welcome:
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Position:
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Emily Heffernen
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Dean of the Falk School
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Jessica McConnell
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Physical Therapy Faculty
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Anna Vioral
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Nursing Faculty
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Elizabeth Skrovanek
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Nursing Faculty
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Ellena Hogan
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Physician Assistant Studies Faculty
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David Dudek
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Physician Assistant Studies Faculty
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Mike Fantuzzo
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Occupational Therapy Faculty
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Julie Polletta
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Interior Architecture Faculty
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Ian Elliott
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Social Sciences Faculty
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Charles Jasper
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Strength & Conditioning Coach
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| Rebecca Zirpoli | Program Assistant-Physical Therapy |
| Mason Reuter | Sports Information Assistant |
| Michael Colberg | Police Lieutenant |
| Patrick Durocher | Head Coach Women's Wrestling |
| Joseph Conner | Head Coach Men's Lacrosse |
| Richard Lander | Graduate Admission Counselor |
| Emily Smulewitz | Undergraduate Admission Counselor |
| Jay'ana King | Psychology Resident - Counseling Center |
I also want to say thank you and best wishes to Dr. Diane Hunker who is retiring from the Nursing program after 18 years of service at Chatham. Diane has promised we will see her around—maybe after a good vacation!
Workday
Cleanup and training for Workday Platform (HR, Finance, and Payroll systems) is continuing. Once again, please thank the Business Office, HR, and IT for their ongoing work on this project. The first phase of the long process of switching to Workday Student has also begun.
Facilities Updates
Facilities Management and Campus Services have been busy over the summer. Many of these projects were highlighted in the Community update.
Communications
Please remember to read and submit your accomplishments and ideas for stories to the Pulse—we all want to hear about the great things you are doing! Click here to submit your news.
Federal Changes and the Impact on Chatham
Our Strategic Response Team, co-chaired by Chris Purcell and Chris Koch is helping to monitor announcements coming out of the federal government that may affect Chatham and our students. For more information, visit myChatham.
Budget and Enrollment
Our new auditing firm, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), will start their review of the 2025 fiscal year expenses soon, and we will let everyone know when the results are posted to the website. Work on the 26FY budget is continuing, and we’ll do an update after the October Board of Trustees meeting. We'll have a final count on fall enrollment about a week after add/drop, so that will appear in the September newsletter.
Fundraising News
This month, two grants each for over $400K were submitted, one to improve cybersecurity and intranet infrastructure, and the second to help fund the renovation of Rea Garage to support the accreditation of our Public Safety Department. Remember, if you have an idea for a project for a grant, please contact Chris Koch in the ORSP office or submit an “intent to apply” form through Softdocs.
Upcoming Dates (Also see our Chatham Events page)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 1 (no classes)
- 6th Annual Chatham Athletics Golf Outing: September 15
- Homecoming and Alumni Reunion: October 3-5
- Fall Board of Trustees Meeting: October 6
- Long Weekend: Sat-Tues, October 11-14 (no classes)
Thank you, everyone, for your help in getting this academic year off to a great start and thank you for everything you do for Chatham.
Lisa