Dr. Joseph MacNeil Appointed Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences

Chatham University has announced that Dr. Joseph MacNeil will serve as the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS).   

Dr. MacNeil has taught chemistry at Chatham University since 1997. He has previously served as the Interim Dean of the School of Arts, Science & Business (January-August 2022) and the Director of Chatham’s Master’s in Biology programs. He earned tenure at Chatham in 2003 and was promoted to full professor in 2015.

He has been the recipient of the Irene Heinz Given Professorship (2004), the Buhl Professorship (2014), the Jane Burger Award for Excellence in Academic Advising (2015), and the Pittsburgh Regional Undergraduate Leadership Excellence Award (Duquesne University, 2011). He co-chaired the Chatham Scholars program for many years, was faculty co-chair of Chatham’s last Middle States accreditation, and chaired the Undergraduate Programs Committee, the Faculty Review Committee, and the Ad Hoc Capstone Assessment Committee, which led the initiative that restored tenure to Chatham.   

Dr. MacNeil earned a Bachelor of Science degree at St. Francis Xavier University, a Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry from Queen’s University, and postdoctoral research at the University of California at San Diego. His research interests range from active learning pedagogy in the chemistry lab to analyzing heavy-metal-contaminated environments.  

Chatham’s College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) offers over two dozen undergraduate majors in immersive media, education, humanities, arts, international studies, social sciences, creative writing, and interior architecture. CAS also offers graduate programs in biology, creative writing, interior architecture, and more.