2004 Alumni Achievement Award Recipient

Jennifer Vest Frank was acknowledged for her work in higher education. This work has furthered the reach of her own education in leadership studies, which began at the University of Richmond. After graduating from the university summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, she earned a master of arts in teaching at the University of Maryland. Her thesis built upon her work at the Jepson School and her minor of women’s studies. In that paper, she explored the relationship between gender, psychological type and leadership practices among college students.

Preparing for a significant career in higher education administration, Frank had pursued internships in the Office of Student Affairs on the Baltimore campus of the University of Maryland and the Office of the Provost at Virginia Commonwealth University. She attained early professional experience in the development and alumni relationships office at the prestigious St. Albans School in Washington.

Later (1995-97), Frank served as coordinator for the Women in Engineering Program through the dean’s office at the University of Maryland. Then, as an assistant to the provost at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, she coordinated the college’s advising program and supported students with special academic needs.

Back in the University of Maryland system, she became executive assistant to the dean of graduate programs. Her many responsibilities included managing academic and research projects for the school, as well as participation in the development of a graduate teacher education program and curriculum development for master’s degrees in teaching and education. As a project manager at the system level, working with the vice chancellor for academic affairs, Frank was responsible for implementing federal grants in excess of $12 million to enhance the quality of education in public schools.

At present, Frank serves as Director of Institutional Research at Loyola College in Maryland. Her primary role is to support effective institutional planning and strategic decision-making. She also is completing work on her doctorate in Education Policy. Her dissertation examines the expanding role of community colleges in preparing our nation’s teachers.

She has made many presentations at conferences and in professional settings, such as the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the American Association for Higher Education national conferences. Her papers and presentations often focus on leadership themes.

It is expected that Jennifer Vest Frank will make increasingly important and lasting contributions to the academy, and she is honored for her scholarship and her commitment to the rigors of the pursuit of academic excellence. The Jepson School salutes her for the contribution it expects her to make in developing the field of leadership studies.

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