Dr. Margaret Signorella, former Director of Academic Affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny, has rejoined the ranks of full-time faculty effective January 1, 2008.
Signorella made the decision to devote her time exclusively to teaching and research after realizing that years of work she had done on a developmental research project might not be published in a timely manner. Lacking time to work on this project as the campus's Chief Academic Officer, the decision was made to return to her students and her research, two areas she sorely missed in her seven-year stint in campus administration.
Dr. Signorella, Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies, is a product of Penn State's graduate program, earning her M.S. and Ph.D. at the University. She joined Penn State as a faculty member in 1982, after teaching at Eastern Michigan University and SUNY College at Brockport.
Signorella's research has focused on gender schemata and the development of the child and adolescent. A current research project is focused on the National Geographic Society's Geography Bee and the reason why finalists are rarely female. She is joined in this research by two Penn State Colleagues: Dr. Lynn Liben, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and former Department Head and Director of the Child Study Center and Dr. Roger Downs, Professor of Geography and former Department Head in Geography.
While serving as the campus's chief academic officer, Dr. Signorella's accomplishments included: development of the campus's website, establishment of the campus's International status and teaching international program, the expansion of the campus's eLearning class options, and the introduction of new academic programs, including the four-year Applied Psychology program that she presently heads for the University College.