Rachel Carnell, Ph.D. appointed Dean of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Honors College

Dr. Rachel Carnell has been appointed the Interim Dean of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Honors College. She has served in that (interim) position since July 1, 2022. Over the last year, Dr. Carnell has led a series of changes in the Honors College. Working in close collaboration with the Dean of Admissions, Dr. Carnell has overseen a major revision of CSU's admissions procedures, resulting in a 50% increase in the number of first-year Honors students, while also strategically managing the university’s investment in Honors scholarships.

Dr. Carnell has also worked with faculty across the campus to reactivate the Honors Council. With the support of this Council, Dr. Carnell is implementing a number of curricular innovations to positively impact the student experience including a leadership lecture series as well as new courses to enable first-year Honors students to develop their identity as Honors students and future leaders.

In addition to these accomplishments in the College, Dr. Carnell has also played a key leadership role in the extension of the Mandel Pipeline grant, which provides funding for an additional eight years to support the Mandel Continuing Scholars who matriculate into CSU after completing an associate degree at Cuyahoga Community College. This joint grant to Tri-C and CSU will provide a combined amount of up to $6,868,333 between now and 2031.

Based on these stellar accomplishments, Dr. Carnell will assume the role of Dean of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Honors College on a permanent basis. This appointment is effective August 1, 2023, pending ratification by the CSU Board of Trustees.

Dr. Carnell will also be able to continue her contributions as a scholar; she holds the Mandel Chair in the Humanities. In the last year, she has written scholarly articles, supervised several students in their MA thesis in English, and has delivered papers at national and international conferences. Dr. Carnell is the recipient of a Distinguished Faculty Award in Scholarship from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and is the author and editor of numerous scholarly books and articles about 18th-century British literature and the political history of the British novel.

Congratulations, Dr. Carnell!