Siena Heights University is excited to announce and welcome three new employees to leadership positions on the Adrian campus.
President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. said, “Siena Heights University is so blessed to welcome these three competent, committed, and innovative women to our university community. We all look forward to working with them!”
Emily Barnes, MLS, EdD, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Barnes served as the 11th president (interim) of Cleary University and was the University’s first female provost and first female interim president. She acquired her doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University. She completed graduate studies in Library and Information Science at Indiana University’s School of Informatics and Computing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Philosophy from Indiana University.
Barnes assumed her first faculty appointment in 2010 and continues to serve as the program chair for graduate leadership programs. She was an academic entrepreneur for six years prior to joining Cleary’s leadership team, implementing digital education, learning management systems, technical infrastructure, and online training programs for a variety of colleges and universities.
She specializes in organizational strategy, data analytics, education technology, systems infrastructure, learning and curriculum design, and inclusive pedagogy.
Barnes is known as the academic thought leader behind The Cleary Mind™. She is passionate about creating change in higher education and inspiring academic leaders to push the envelope, raise the bar, redefine the status quo, and to bring a fresh look at education.
Barnes will begin her new role as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs on July 5.
Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Currently, Shelangoskie is the Chair of the English Department and Director of the Digital and Media Studies program at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio and will begin her new role as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences on July 11.
The development of the Digital and Media Studies program was a notable accomplishment that demonstrates her approach to curriculum development and student-centered education. This interdisciplinary program was designed with core study in a liberal arts field contextualized by theory and practice in technology.
In her 15+ years at Lourdes, Susan has served in a wide range of capacities to benefit the institution, and her university service demonstrates her commitment to shared governance and faculty-driven initiatives. She served as the faculty eLearning coordinator, was elected Faculty Senate President three consecutive years, and has served as the chair of the Rank and Promotion Committee, the General Education Revision Taskforce, and the Curriculum Committee. Susan earned her Ph.D. in British and American Literature from the University of Utah, and her undergraduate degree in English and Mathematics from Cleveland State University.
Dr. Joanne Yastik, Director of Nursing
Dr. Yastik’s healthcare career spans 33 years, including 25 years of nursing education experience in clinical, classroom and administrative roles. Dr. Yastik completed her BSN in 1989 at Mercy College of Detroit. She completed an MSN in Nursing Administration at Madonna University in 1997 and also holds a post-master’s certificate in Teaching in Nursing Education from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She completed her Ph.D in Nursing at Wayne State University with her research being focused on online health information seeking. After 16 years in clinical practice, mainly in the Emergency Department and PACU settings, she pursued a faculty role at her alma mater, the University of Detroit-Mercy. She was an Assistant Professor there until 2012.
During her academic career, Dr. Yastik has taught various undergraduate nursing courses in ADN, BSN, second degree, and RN to BSN completion, in both face-to-face and online formats. She has served in a DON role over the last seven years and obtained the National League for Nursing (NLN) credential of Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) in 2019.
Dr. Yastik is member of the American Association of Men in Nursing, the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) Research Committee, and Michigan Council of Nursing Education Administrators (MCNEA). Her research interests include nursing education, NCLEX success, and diversity in nursing.
As a lifelong learner, Siena Heights University’s mission of assisting people, especially the future nursing workforce, to become more competent, purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity of all truly resonated with Dr. Yastik. “I am looking forward to becoming part of the community at Siena Heights University and making a positive impact on future nurses and the entire campus community.” Dr. Yastik began her new role as Director of Nursing on May 2.
Emily Barnes, MLS, EdD, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Susan Shelangoskie, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Joanne Yastik, Director of Nursing
