BY EMILY GAUDETTE
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Peter Ubertaccio is settling back into life at Stonehill and into his new office in Duffy 134, two years after he left the campus to work at Caldwell University in New Jersey.
Ubertaccio left Stonehill in 2021 for Caldwell University to take the position as the vice president of Academic Affairs there. Since Ubertaccio grew up in New Jersey, he said it “felt a little bit like going back home.”
Ubertaccio didn’t completely cut his ties with Massachusetts at the time. He commuted from New Jersey to Cape Cod every weekend to spend time with his family.
Then, he got a phone call from Stonehill President John Denning about returning as Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“When Father John gave me the call, I did not want to miss the opportunity,” Ubertaccio said.
Before he left for the New Jersey job, Ubertaccio had worked at Stonehill for roughly 20 years as a professor, the head of the Martin Institute, and the first dean of the May School of Arts and Sciences. He also was the interim co-vice president of Academic Affairs for five months with Dr. Debra Salvucci before he left in 2021.
He’s excited to take on this role at Stonehill, which involves a broader academic scope.
“For the most part, I feel like I’m getting back into the flow of things,” he said.
Ubertaccio is expected to work with the college president on larger academic initiatives.
“Our major areas of focus include reimagining our general education curriculum, bolstering our graduate programs and reviewing our academic assessment processes,” Denning said in an email statement.
Denning said he’s already seen some changes since Ubertaccio returned.
“In the few short weeks that he has been here, Dr. Ubertaccio has made tremendous strides in helping us realize these goals in the interest of maximizing our students’ potential,” Denning said.
Salvucci worked with Ubertaccio very closely during his time at Stonehill.
“People know who he is. He engages with them. He’s a very receptive and open listener who has great ideas,” Salvucci said.
Ubertaccio said one of his personal goals is rebuilding short-term travel opportunities that were drastically reduced during the pandemic, including more opportunities for travel during winter break, spring break, and summer break.
“We have to get back into the world,” he said.
Structural shifts within the academic departments—including eliminating positions—fall under the vice-presidential duties.
Ubertaccio said he will find the most effective and efficient solutions for structural changes and will try to answer the question: does Stonehill have the right staffing structure to meet the needs of faculty and students?
For example, the position of the director of the Office of Accessibilities was eliminateda few weeks into the winter semester. He said the college will use a “whole office approach” rather than relying on just one person for those services.
He said the College is also looking to increase staffing for the overworked Registrar’s Office.
As Stonehill moves forward into a new era of growth and change, Ubertaccio said his team will meet challenges head on.
“In the time I've been here, I've seen an entire reformation of the campus,” Ubertaccio said.
He said there are some immediate challenges, including an increase in enrollment, but he has great hopes for the current and future students of Stonehill.
Salvucci said that to be a good academic leader, a person must think about faculty, students, alumni, and other leaders, communicate well with them, and consider how the institution works for the students.
“It's really important to have a great leader to bring the school to a better place. I think he has what it takes,” Salvucci said.
Denning also has confidence in Ubertaccio.
“Having worked closely with him, I know firsthand that he possesses the knowledge and skills to ensure that we maintain the structures currently in place to offer students an education of the highest caliber. Through his extensive record of leadership, he has also demonstratedthat he is an excellent collaborator, focused on the College’s mission of educating hearts and minds,” said Denning.
Ubertaccio is ready to take on the future of Stonehill College as vice president of Academic Affairs.
"I hope he stays in that role. I hope they make him a permanent position as the vice president of Academic Affairs," Salvucci said.
The College president said Ubertaccio’s position is officially interim at this moment.
“A decision has not yet been made about who will serve as the next Vice President of Academic Affairs following Dr. Ubertaccio’s interim appointment,” Denning said in an email statement.