Malaysia RPCV Dr. Elaine Sipe to Return ‘Home,’ Will Head Adult and Continuing Education Program at Belmont Abbey College
Abbey Names New Associate Dean
4/23/2004
Dr. Elaine Sipe to Return ‘Home,’ Will Head Adult and Continuing Education Program at BAC
BELMONT, NC --- Belmont Abbey College has appointed Dr. Elaine Sipe to the newly created position of associate dean for adult and continuing education. Sipe, who is currently dean of University College and a professor of education at Concordia University, had previously served as director of the Adult Degree Program at Belmont Abbey.
“I am preparing with eager anticipation to return to Belmont to continue my profession as an adult educator,” says Sipe, who is now planning for her Abbey homecoming. “I look forward to listening to members of the Belmont Abbey community and local citizens regarding their educational dreams and to make those dreams a reality.”
As associate dean for adult and continuing education, Sipe will oversee all aspects of the Adult Degree Program at Belmont Abbey College. She will be responsible for working closely with the academic dean, faculty, ADP staff, and local businesses and organizations in conducting a thorough review of the ADP Program, evaluating the needs of the greater Charlotte region, and developing a long-range plan to strengthen and promote continuing adult education.
“Given the highly competitive and dynamic nature of adult and continuing education, Dr. Sipe’s expertise and familiarity with the mission and values of Belmont Abbey will serve us extremely well,” says Dr. Dean de la Motte, academic dean at Belmont Abbey College. “I am thrilled that after being so involved in the Adult Degree Program in its early days at Sacred Heart and here at the Abbey, she has agreed to return at this moment in our history.”
“Her credentials and vast experience in adult and continuing education, as well as her familiarity with the Abbey and the surrounding community, will allow us to make significant progress toward achieving certain key goals of our strategic plan, including expanding continuing education opportunities based on the needs of the educational and corporate sectors and enhancing the College’s support of and participation in local civic organizations,” says de la Motte.
As dean of University College at Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois for the last 14 years, Sipe has done extensive work in professional development and degree completion programs assisting adult students and teachers in the Chicago area. Prior to serving as director of Belmont Abbey College’s Adult Degree Program in 1987, Sipe was dean of adult education and a director of institutional research and planning at Sacred Heart College in Belmont, North Carolina.
A former assistant professor of geography and social studies at Sacred Heart College, Sipe began her career in 1967 traveling with the Peace Corps to Malaysia where she taught English. She later returned to the states and taught at Concordia Lutheran School in Conover, North Carolina.
In addition to her experience and expertise in continuing education, Sipe holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia College in River Forest Illinois; a master’s in geography from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina; and a doctorate in adult and community college education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Belmont Abbey College, named one of the country’s leading, private liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, is located in Belmont, North Carolina, 15 miles west of Charlotte. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape. Nearly a thousand students call The Abbey home. The students, with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, represent more than 18 countries and 34 states and pursue undergraduate degrees in a number of liberal arts course offerings.
Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.
