SUNY Oswego has appointed communication studies professor and chair Dr. Mary Toale as interim dean of graduate studies, effective Jan. 12, announced Walter Roettger, the college’s acting provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Toale will provide continuing leadership for the Division of Graduate Studies as a search committee for a new permanent dean is expected to complete its work this spring.

A 2015 participant in the American Council on Education’s Leadership Academy for Departmental Chairs, Toale joined SUNY Oswego in 2014. She formerly served on the faculties at West Virginia University, Baldwin Wallace University and West Virginia Wesleyan before joining Oswego in 2014.

Among her achievements at SUNY Oswego, Toale led development of the college’s new graduate program in strategic communication.

Recently honored as a Teaching Fellow of the Eastern Communication Association, Toale has served the professional organization in a number of capacities since 1998. She will be the ECA marketing director for its 2017 annual conference in Pittsburgh. Toale also served on the National Communication Association’s Learning Outcomes in Communication team. Additionally, she was a member of the National Faculty Advisory Board for Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, from 2011-2015.

In her more than 10 years at Baldwin Wallace, Toale earned tenure and received the Strosacker Award for Teaching Excellence while serving in a variety of roles, including interim chair of the department of communication studies, chair of the School of Humanities, and president of the Faculty Senate.

She earned a doctorate in instructional communication and master’s degree in communication theory and research from West Virginia University. Her bachelor’s degree is in secondary mathematics education from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Toale succeeds Brad Korbesmeyer, who served as interim dean for two years. Korbesmeyer will begin a sabbatical in January before resuming his faculty duties in the department of English and creative writing.

Oswego’s Division of Graduate Studies offers more than 30 graduate and certificate programs at its main campus, online, onsite and at its SUNY Oswego in Syracuse location. For more information, visit oswego.edu/gradstudies.