Joan Develin Coley is a former American higher education executive. She served as president of
McDaniel College,
Westminster, Maryland from 2000 to 2010.[1] She was then appointed as
interim president of
Notre Dame of Maryland University, beginning in August 2013, and served in that capacity during the presidential search for that university.[2]
A national higher education policy participant with the
Aspen Institute, she was also actively involved with the Wye Faculty Seminar of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.[3]
Formative years
Born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Coley earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English with Honors at
Albright College in
Reading. She then earned both a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education Reading and her Doctor of Education degree in Elementary Education Reading from the
University of Maryland, College Park.[4]
McDaniel College
Coley rose through the ranks of academia during her four-decade career, holding the following increasingly responsible positions:[5][6][7][8]
President – 2001
Interim President – 2000
Provost and Dean of the Faculty – 1994–2000
Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty – 1993–94
Dean of Graduate Affairs, Professor – 1992–93
Professor, Chair of Education Dept. & Director of Graduate Reading Program – 1986–92
^Blubaugh, Bob. "
WMC investigation includes athletes." Westminster, Maryland: Carroll County Times, December 19, 1995, pp. B1, B3 (subscription required).