Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) has named Sharon Slear, SSND, Ph.D. as provost and vice president of academic affairs (VPAA). Slear has been serving in this capacity since January 2018 when she was named Interim VPAA.

Her appointment was a natural selection says NDMU President Marylou Yam. “For more than two decades Sr. Sharon has been a Mission-driven leader for Notre Dame. She has been an integral part of the campus community and we are happy to have her taking over in this role. She truly embodies the Notre Dame spirit, embraces our Catholic Identity and lives the Mission of working to educate leaders to transform the world.”

Over the years, Sr. Sharon has taken on many roles at Notre Dame. She has taught future educators, helped establish the School of Education - serving as its first Dean, successfully developed one of Notre Dame’s first fully online degree programs, founded Operation TEACH in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and served as the head tennis coach in the 1990s.

In her role as VPAA, Sister Sharon will oversee academic affairs, student life and athletics. She hopes to build on Notre Dame’s successes, “Notre Dame is highly respected for its academic programs and I want to continue that tradition and I want NDMU to continue being one of the best in the state of Maryland and in the region.”

As Dean of the School of Education, Sr. Sharon helped shape Notre Dame’s School of Education and its programs to be the #1 private college or university in Maryland in graduating certified teachers. She sought and received national accreditation (CAEP) for all graduate and undergraduate education programs, making NDMU the first private college or university in Maryland to receive this recognition. Sr. Sharon is credited with developing NDMU’s graduate programs in education and she spearheaded the University’s first doctoral program, the Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations. In addition, Sr. Sharon guided NDMU to lead Maryland for the number of education graduates connected to STEM fields. 

Sr. Sharon graduated from NDMU with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry/Pre-Med. She went on to obtain her masters in chemistry from Villanova University, and later earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Administration from Boston College.