FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development (FCOEHD) has named Maureen Ruby as its Isabelle Farrington Endowed Chair of Social, Emotional & Academic Leadership effective August of this year.

“Tonight marks a historic moment in our University’s history,” said Michael Alfano, dean of FCOEHD, at an April 8 event honoring Ruby. “Dr. Ruby is the first endowed chair in Sacred Heart University’s history—an appointment that was made possible by the generosity of Isabelle Farrington, a longtime friend of Sacred Heart.”

Ruby’s new role will focus on helping prepare educational leaders with expertise in social, emotional & academic leadership (SEAL). “Her focus on research, training and advocacy in this space will help elevate the work being done in our college in this critically important area,” Alfano continued. 

Endowed chair is one of the highest positions a professor can earn in higher education. 

“Mrs. Farrington had a love affair with Sacred Heart,” said Paul J. Sutera, senior vice president of University advancement for Sacred Heart. “She believed in education; she believed in scholarship; and she believed in Sacred Heart. All of these wove together to create this transformational legacy gift that will change the trajectory of this institution in the most positive way. An endowed chair talks about academic excellence and national prominence.”

“Endowments, such as this one, are key to attracting and retaining world-class faculty,” said Robin Cautin, provost of Sacred Heart University. “They reflect the strength and caliber of our academic programs. They are also indications of the bold institutional aspirations we hold. I have no doubt that this endowed chair will be the first of many to come.”

“I am overjoyed that Sacred Heart has taken social emotional learning this seriously,” said Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, of which Ruby was a fellow for two years. “We are going to think systemically about how to make this happen … I now have a copartner in making Connecticut the first emotionally intelligent state.”

“It is a personal and professional honor to be selected to serve as the inaugural endowed chair of social, emotional and academic leadership,” said Ruby. “I am truly humbled by this opportunity.

“When I first came to Sacred Heart as an adjunct years ago, I was impressed by the ‘work hard, dream big and you can do anything’ attitude that is so pervasive here,” Ruby continued. “Sacred Heart has become one of the fastest-growing Catholic universities in the United States. The evolution of the Farrington College of Education & Human Development, in just the past five years, is nothing short of incredible. The FCOEHD has become a destination of choice for those pursuing education and leadership.”

Ruby began her career as a dental officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. When she found her own son’s special needs were not being met within the public school system, she went back to school to become a teacher to advocate for students from within the system. She began in the North Branford Public School system as a first-grade teacher and grew to specialize in literacy and special education. Upon earning her Ph.D. in special education with a focus on literacy from the University of Connecticut, she became an assistant professor and program coordinator for reading and language arts at Eastern Connecticut State University. 

She returned to K-12 education as a literacy coach and supervisor of professional learning and career management for New London Public Schools and then moved to the director of special education and pupil personnel services in Norwalk Public Schools. In 2015, she became assistant superintendent in the Brookfield Public School system.

“I am appreciative of the financial support, vision and commitment to our shared vision that Isabelle Farrington had for Sacred Heart during her lifetime and through her trust,” said Ruby. 

As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers nearly 90 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 387 Colleges–2022 Edition, “Best Northeastern” and Best Business Schools–2022 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu

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