McDaniel College President Joan Develin Coley has been an educator and administrator at the selective private, liberal arts college since 1973. She was elected on October 20, 2000 after having served as interim president for nearly a year, and is the eighth president to serve in the college’s 134-year history. Prior to her appointment she served as College Provost for six years during which time she led the faculty in a revision of the curriculum and co-chaired the committee that produced the current strategic plan.
Dr. Coley is McDaniel College’s first president to be promoted from the faculty ranks. She joined the faculty in 1973 as Director of the Graduate Reading Program. She went on to serve as Dean of Graduate Affairs and Chair of the Department of Education.
She has crusaded to help students with serious reading disabilities. For 26 years she led a four-week intensive summer reading clinic for up to 100 elementary and middle school students from Maryland and Pennsylvania.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Dr. Coley received an A.B. with honors from Albright College. She went on to earn both her master’s and doctorate in education from the University of Maryland. Dr. Coley’s numerous honors include the 1989 Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading given by the Maryland Council of the International Reading Association. She has published extensively, writing articles and reviews for national journals and has authored, co-authored and edited several books.
Dr. Coley is a member of the board of directors of Target Community & Educational Services, Inc., a nonprofit that provides community living, vocational and recreational services to adults with disabilities as well as a board member of the local Chamber of Commerce.
In March 2004, she was named to the Circle of Excellence for being nominated as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record three times. She is also a member of the Executive Women’s Network of Greater Baltimore.
McDaniel College Career Timeline:
- President--2001
- Interim President--2000
- Provost and Dean of the Faculty--1994-2000
- Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty--1993-1994
- Dean of Graduate Affairs, Professor--1992-1993
- Professor, Chair of Education Dept. & Director of Graduate Reading Program-- 1986-1992
- Director of Admissions--1985
- Associate Dean/Academic Affairs--1983-1985
- Director of Continuing Education--1982
- Director, American Publishers Assn. Literacy Project, Washington, D.C. (sabbatical)--1980-1981
- Associate Professor, Education Dept. & Director Graduate Reading Program--1977
- Assistant Professor, Education Dept. & Director Graduate Reading Program--1973
Accomplishments:
- Circle of Excellence, Top 100 Women in Maryland, Daily Record--2004
- Top 100 Women in Maryland, Daily Record--2000, 2002
- Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading at the Higher Education Level--1989
- Maryland Higher Education Reading Association, president--1975-76
- Mid-Atlantic Reading Research Consortium, president--1987-99