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Chapman appointed director of All-College Honors Program

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Posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Westminster College has appointed Dr. Jamie Chapman as director of the All-College Honors Program.

Chapman currently serves as associate professor of sociology at Westminster College. She will begin her new duties during summer 2023, succeeding the current director Dr. Kristianne Kalata, associate professor of English.

“As associate professor of sociology, Dr. Chapman has developed strengths in interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship that will aid her leadership of this important program and the focused work that has supported honors students’ personal and professional development,” said Dr. Jamie McMinn, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

The All-College Honors Program provides opportunities for selected students to gain a deep appreciation of the multiple dimensions of knowledge by creating a community of honors scholars and promoting intellectual vitality and academic rigor. Honors students complete an enhanced curriculum that includes research, thesis preparation, problem solving, independent investigation and travel abroad opportunities, including an annual educational trip to Greece. The program culminates in an honors thesis or project that involves working closely with a faculty member in the student’s major.

Last May, Chapman accompanied 23 honors students and the program director on the annual journey to Greece, a two-week travel experience in collaboration with the Athens Centre.

“My experience traveling to Greece this last May reinvigorated my intellectual curiosity and exposed me to an additional meaningful career opportunity at Westminster College,” said Chapman. “I enjoyed exploring with and getting to know all of the students on the trip, and I am excited to have been selected for this appointment.”

Chapman, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2014, specializes in mental health, medical sociology and has a growing interest in the subfield of criminology. Currently the program coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice Studies and Sociology, Chapman is trained to teach in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program®. Through this program, Chapman teaches a class inside a prison that includes 11 traditional Westminster students and 11 incarcerated students. She recently completed teaching a criminology course to a group in an Ohio prison.

Chapman chaired the Faculty Development Committee during the 2021-2022 academic year and currently chairs the Outcomes Assessment Advisory Committee. She also chaired working group number VI for the College’s most recent Middle States Assessment.

In spring 2024, Chapman will take a sabbatical leave to write a book based on her current research investigating the lived experiences of frontline mental health workers who are working in incarcerated settings.

Chapman earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social sciences from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She went on to earn her doctorate in sociology from the University of Akron.