Walsh Named Dean of School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives

Meghan Walsh, MBA, has been appointed dean of the School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives (SALNI) at Alverno College, Joseph Foy, Ph.D., vice president for Academic Affairs, announced Monday. She will assume the role on May 3.

Walsh, who has served as Alverno’s director of Alumnae Relations since 2018 and, most recently, as interim associate dean of SALNI, will establish relationships with Milwaukee-area business partners and external stakeholders, identify regional workforce needs, and work with faculty to develop new programs that address these needs.

“Meghan has a deep understanding and respect for the abilities-based curriculum and feedback-based assessment model of an Alverno education,” said Foy. “Her proven success with building connections and advancing the Alverno College mission in innovative and collaborative ways means that she will hit the ground running.”

“I am a life-long Milwaukeean and am extremely energized by the opportunity to support my neighbors as learners and address our community’s workforce needs,” Walsh said. “I first came to Alverno as an adult learner and my experience was transformational so I’m excited to build new partnerships and deepen existing relationships that will benefit our college, adult learners and local organizations.”

Launched in 2017, the School of Adult Learning and New Initiatives was designed to be a responsive, flexible, interdisciplinary entity to complement Alverno’s other three schools. It’s the college’s principal hub for innovation, and it houses degree completion programs, two-year and online degree programs, and stackable offerings including certificates, digital badges and professional development offerings. SALNI serves a diverse array of learners: baccalaureate, graduate and associate degree students, as well as professionals seeking to update their skills.

Programs housed in the school include a fully online RN to BSN program, Alverno’s Pivot Your Skills Pathways program, which provides upskill opportunities that lead to professional certificates, and Alverno Accelerate, an affordable and flexible program that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in leadership in three or fewer years.

Walsh is a doctoral candidate at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Her dissertation focuses on student experience and the impact that a sense of belonging has on persistence and graduation, particularly for first-generation and non-traditional adult learners.