To the Campus Community:
I am pleased to announce that Christopher P. La Barbera, PhD, most recently Assistant
Provost at Massachusetts Bay Community College, has been appointed Assistant Provost
at FSC, effective August 1, 2023. Reporting to Provost Laura Joseph, La Barbera will
be responsible for the campus initiatives that advance the academic mission of the
College.
In this role, he will provide strategic direction and oversight for various academic
offices including but not limited to Distance Learning, Nexus Center for Career Development
and Applied Learning, and The Faculty Center. He will also play an important role
in support of the College’s community/civic engagement initiatives in support of FSC’s
Carnegie Classification as well as initiatives in the area of Microcredentialing.
As a key member of the Deans' Council, La Barbera will help to advance the campus's
strategic plan, and execute other responsibilities as assigned by the President and
the Provost.
As Assistant Provost at Massachusetts Bay Community College, La Barbera led the online
learning division and academic support areas, including tutoring, accessibility resources,
and the library. His experience includes fostering the evolution of curriculum and
leveraging technologies to support learning in remote and online formats throughout
the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, La Barbera oversaw the development and transition
of more than 120 new course sections to an entirely online format, applying instructional
design standards to support faculty and ensure continued excellence in course design.
He also served as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Interim Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost, and Dean of Humanities. His earlier experience includes
appointments as Assistant Dean of Continuing Education with Southern New Hampshire
University, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Colby Sawyer College, and Term Lecturer
of Philosophy at Stony Brook University. He received a PhD and MA in Philosophy from
Stony Brook University, and a BA in Philosophy from Dartmouth College.
I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the search committee for their
leadership and dedication throughout the selection process. Please join me in welcoming
Christopher to the FSC family.
John Nader
President
