After 13 years as part of the Cabrini faculty and family, Dr. Jeff Gingerich will be departing Cabrini University and his positions as provost and vice president of academic affairs.
The Start of Something New
Gingerich is an expert in race and ethnic studies, criminology, restorative justice and corrections and punishment. Gingerich earned a Bachelor’s of science in social work from Eastern Mennonite University and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Cabrini community in January 2005.
“I had been teaching at a small town in Ohio,” Gingerich said. “I had done my grad work at Penn, and I had been in Ohio for 5 years, but I was ready to get back to more of an urban area.”
The position was for a sociologist who could teach criminal justice with an emphasis on social justice. With Gingerich’s background, he felt like the perfect candidate for this job.
“So I actually came and interviewed with Cabrini right away and fell in love with the place,” Gingerich said. “Initially, because of family reasons, said no, and then the folks at Cabrini said ‘think about it a little longer,’ so I went back and talked to my family, and I knew in my heart that this was the place to be, so we ended up coming here in January of 2005.”
In 2010 Gingerich was appointed the dean of academic affairs then, five years later, in 2015, was named provost. A provost is the senior academic administrator, having the deans of the schools report to him.
Standout Moments
Gingerich will always be grateful for how kind and welcoming the Cabrini community was to him from his first moments on campus up until present day. Since joining Cabrini, he always knew he was at the right place at the right time.
Working on and off campus with fellow faculty and staff will always stand out to Gingerich. They worked together to, not only live out the Cabrini mission, but also to immerse themselves in powerful social justice experiences.
“I think about the first time I taught as a faculty member was what we call the ‘Inside Out’ class,” Gingerich said. “It is a class that we teach in the Montgomery County prison with Cabrini students and with inmates, and those classes continue today, and that was a very special time.”
Gingerich was a huge part of the Cabrini community and only enhanced the way it functioned. With 13 years as a staff member, Gingerich had seen multiple presidents, university status and big life moments along the way.
“President Taylor’s Inauguration was a big time for me,” Gingerich said. “I helped to plan a lot of it with others, but also because I knew it was a big, pivotal time at Cabrini. Also becoming a University since then has been pretty big for me. Then personally, I got married here at Cabrini and that was a pretty big moment for me.”
Leaving a Legacy
Gingerich showed his leadership and passion for social justice and Cabrini’s mission through everything he did for the community.
“I think I’m most proud of the deep discussion we’ve had with students, with faculty, with staff, about what it means to be Cabrini and to live out the Cabrini mission and what it means to have an education that creates a more fair and just world around us, and those have been tough conversations but really good conversations,” Gingerich said.
The Justice Matters curriculum develops a common core of knowledge and connects the theory and practice of social justice to each student’s major. Gingerich played an immense role in the development of this curriculum.
Each year in this curriculum, students immerse themselves in courses such as college success, engagement in the common good, 21st century literacies and the explorations. Gingerich not only is proud of the accomplishments of this program but the memories he shared with his co-workers.
“I really value those discussions that we have,” Gingerich said. “They have resulted in the Justice Matters curriculum and the ECG, engagement with the common good, courses and I’m very proud of what the faculty has created with those.”
One of the most impactful people within Gingerich’s Cabrini career was Dr. David Dunbar. Dunbar was a beloved biology professor who passed away in May of 2016.
“The shock of losing David when died, who was both a great colleague to all of us and a great friend as well, and that happening right before graduation, with people finding out this tragic news on a day of celebration, had a huge impact on all of us and we all remember David because of that,” Gingerich said.
Gingerich interacted with faculty, staff and students on a day to day basis. You can find him speaking at many different events on campus and interacting with prospective students, as well.
“I couldn’t even begin to name all the students who have impacted me,” Gingerich said. “Particularly the students who come here and aren’t sure if it’s the right fit or the right college for them, and then after four years of being here are just thriving at the end and it really kind of changed their outlook on life.”
The Next Chapter
Gingerich has grown and spent a lot of his adult life as a part of the Cabrini community. Even though he is leaving this position, he will take what he has learned and loved from Cabrini wherever he goes in life.
Beginning June 2018, Gingerich will be taking the position of provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Coming out of a Jesuit tradition, the University of Scranton is noted to have a similar mission to Cabrini. It is also a bigger school and Gingerich hopes to seek more opportunities there.
“I’m really looking forward to taking everything I learned from Cabrini, and thinking about how that may or may not work at Scranton,” Gingerich said. “Looking at ways we can continue to offer an education that matters to the world.”
Gingerich will always remember and view Cabrini as a special place with an extraordinary community. He is happy to have been apart of it, and hope to make Cabrini proud within his next chapter of life.
“Simply, I hope that everyone here, students and faculty, realize what a special place it is here at Cabrini,” Gingerich said. “It’s a very special place with staff and faculty who care, who really want the best for the students here, and that’s one thing I love about it. We may disagree on certain things, and we’re always trying to do the right thing, but that’s ultimately what is best for the students.”
When in Scranton, Gingerich hopes to strengthen their core values and mission statement to enhance their students with a global education. The Cabrini community is thankful for what Gingerich has done for them and will always consider him part of the Cabrini family.
“I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to really immerse myself more in the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Gingerich said. “I hope that everyone understands that we’re a part of this global family that is the Cabrini Sisters. They’re a very special group that is all around the world and always has us in their prayers. That is the Cabrini family, and it’s a really special thing we don’t think about a lot.”
seems like a lot of folks leave cabrini for scranton……….does the next chapter include betsy……..