McPherson College announces Dr. Hannah Rushe Piechowski will help lead the Student Affairs Office as associate vice president and dean of students. Piechowski has worked in student affairs and higher education for over 12 years.
Her experience includes housing and residence life, first-year experience, retention, and admissions at Transylvania University, Bellarmine University, the University of Louisville, and Midway University. Most recently, she served as the associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Missouri Western State University with Shana Meyer, vice president for student affairs at McPherson College.
“As a product of a private, liberal arts education, I am tremendously excited to join the McPherson College community,” Piechowski said. “From the moment I arrived to assist with the start of the school year, the students and campus won me over. I love the school spirit, the clear dedication to academics, and the strong sense of community.”
Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Piechowski is a graduate of Bellarmine University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and piano performance. She also earned a master’s degree in counseling and college student personnel from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in higher education and social change from Bellarmine University. Her dissertation and research are rooted in positive psychology while seeking to understand and support the experiences of college students in transition.
Piechowski has taught educational research methods in Bellarmine’s Masters of Higher Education and Social Justice Program, as well as preparatory piano for over eight years. She has served as the president of the College Personnel Association of Kentucky, president of the Kentucky Association of Housing Officers, Missouri state coordinator for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, faculty for the Regional Entry Level Institution for the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers, and as a governing board member of the American College Personnel Association. Piechowski and her yellow Labrador, Barley, are a certified therapy dog team by Pawsibilities Unleashed, Inc. and have over 100 hours of service at universities and hospitals.