Pitt Names Kelly Otter New Associate Dean of The College of General Studies

PITTSBURGH-Kelly Otter has been named associate dean in Pitt's College of General Studies (CGS), the unit of Pitt that provides educational opportunities and degree programs to nontraditional students. N. John Cooper, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, made the appointment, which is effective immediately.

In her new position, Otter will work with senior administrators throughout the Pitt community to fulfill the CGS institutional mission of providing nontraditional students throughout Western Pennsylvania with full access to Pitt's resources. She will provide the day-to-day leadership and overall management of CGS, including oversight of all programs, curricular matters, enrollment, advising, and retention. She also will oversee the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which offers noncredit courses to senior citizens, and the McCarl Center for Nontraditional Students, a clearinghouse of resources for adult students making the transition back to college, located on the fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning.

Since joining CGS as assistant dean of academic programs in 2003, Otter has played an integral role in planning, developing, and delivering the CGS degree programs. She has identified new program opportunities and fostered internal and external relationships leading to new curricula. In addition, she has provided vision and oversight for PittOnline, the CGS distance education venture.

Otter's prior professional experience includes positions as assistant dean in the School of Arts and Sciences at the College of New Rochelle, and as associate director in the Department of Film, Video and Broadcasting, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, New York University (NYU). She holds the B.A. degree in communications from the University of Michigan, the M.A. degree in communications from Wayne State University, and the Ph.D. degree in arts and humanities education from The Steinhardt School of Education at NYU.

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12/12/06/tmw