Women's History Month

The Dean of Curriculum and Academic Effectiveness, Cicchelli connects with campus leaders to create what the College teaches to ensure vitality, viability, and a vision that is sustainable, not only for the students, but the College and community as well.

Dr. Cynthia Cicchelli is a name most Schoolcraft College students may not recognize. But her and her team’s work play a major role even before the students set foot in a classroom.

As the Dean of Curriculum and Academic Effectiveness, Cicchelli connects with campus leaders to create what the College teaches to ensure vitality, viability, and a vision that is sustainable, not only for the students, but the College and community as well. That requires forward-thinking, something Cicchelli reflects on often.

“I view sustainability not as a finished product, but as a continuous commitment to growth and renewal,” she said. “The College, our students and our communities continue to evolve, and we must stay relevant and agile to meet their shifting needs. Schoolcraft has risen to this challenge by strengthening our focus on academic effectiveness.”

The three departments Cicchelli oversees – Instructional Operations, Curriculum Design and Development; and Assessment and Continuous Quality Assurance – form a centralized system-wide hub that brings departments together to collaborate, align strategies, and move initiatives forward. Together, they help design the learning experience that unfolds for students during their time at Schoolcraft College and to remove the barriers that may get in the way. They are forever assessing and building improvements toward students’ success.

The inspiration for her work is most prevalent, Cicchelli said, during the annual commencement ceremony, which will take place this year on May 9 in the TrinityElite Sports Center. That event is a culmination of the hard work put forth by students, as well as those who support them along their journey.

Attending each year, Cicchelli said, renews her belief in why her work matters.

“Our students have overcome obstacles, gained remarkable knowledge and insights, and are now at the precipice of a new chapter in their lives,” she said. “It is both humbling and energizing.”

When not working to drive continuous improvements at the College, Cicchelli said she finds joy in spending time outdoors and with family and friends. Doing activities such as hiking, camping and traveling have become an elixir of life critical to balancing work.

“I’ve found that stepping away from work, even briefly, helps me return with clearer perspective and renewed energy — something that ultimately makes me a better leader and colleague,” she said.

Cicchelli said the idea behind the Maya Angelou quote “A leader sees greatness in other people” resonates deeply with her. Working closely with her team to make the student experience the best it can be is something she strives for every day.

“This isn’t about me. It is about ‘We.’ We all want the same thing: to help students navigate their educational paths with clarity and confidence. Done effectively, the impact becomes lasting, not just for today’s students, but for those who follow.”

Meet Kristin Keyes, who works as a reference librarian in the Bradner Library, shares how she got her start in libraries and who played the biggest role in her career.

Providing access to information has been a passion for Kristin Keyes since she was in college.

Keyes, a reference librarian for Learning Support Services in the Bradner Library, said she originally went to school as an English major, focusing her efforts on writing. After working as a copy editor for the student newspaper at Ohio Northern University, her alma mater, she realized journalism wasn’t her calling, either.

She then looked at the library world and fell in love with it.

“I don’t recall the exact moment it happened, but sometime mid junior year I decided journalism wasn’t for me and started looking at graduate schools for library science,” she said. “From student journalist to public librarian, and now academic librarian, I believe the common denominator has been providing access to information.”

Keyes was influenced by two women educators in her life, both personally and professionally. She said, at an early age, she witnessed the impact her mother, a longtime teacher in Ohio, had on the lives of her students. When it came to her time as a librarian, her practicum supervisor at Indiana University, Professor Frances Wilhoit, gave her all the attention she needed as she learned.

“During the summer of 1991, my practicum site was the Journalism Library on the Bloomington campus,” she said. “I had no previous library experience and Professor Wilhoit was so generous with her time and sharing her expertise during the few months we worked together.”

When it comes to influence, Keyes said one of the quotes she thinks of regularly comes from the famed poet Maya Angelou:

“Information helps you to see that you’re not alone. That there’s somebody in Mississippi and somebody in Tokyo who all have wept, who’ve all longed and lost, who’ve all been happy. So the library helps you to see, not only that you are not alone, but that you’re not really any different from everyone else.”

It’s an exciting time to work in the world of libraries, Keyes said. From the Bradner Library’s academic library to community libraries, the needs have evolved throughout the years, a challenge Keyes looks forward to tackling.

She said she looks forward to seeing how the Bradner Library can evolve to better serve students’ needs.

“In general, as community needs have changed, I think that we’ve definitely seen all libraries, but especially public libraries, evolving in the services they provide their in-person and virtual patrons,” Keyes said. “Bradner Library is in the process of developing plans for what that might look like for us. My favorite resources are the students I work with and my colleagues because I feel like I learn something new from them every day.”

We’re highlighting women whose work is inspired by this year’s theme for Women’s History Month: “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” 

Maeghan Scully attributes her work ethic to the examples she had growing up.

Scully, the new Associate Director of Culinary Operations, said she had many great female mentors as a child, including her mother.

“My mother lead by example, showing me how be to a successful businesswoman,” she said. “She helped me develop a strong work ethic from a young age, teaching me hard work and dedication is the key to success.”

Scully, who previously managed the cafes and markets on campus, was brought on earlier this year as the Associate Director of Culinary Operations. That role oversees much of the food service on campus, including events in the Vistatech Center, the markets across the College and The Craft Grille.

Those mentorship roles are a crucial part of helping other women become the best they can be, Scully said. That’s something that Women’s History Month helps celebrate, Scully said.

“It is important to have strong female role models to teach women that we can do anything we put our minds to,” she said. “They give us the courage to step out of our comfort zone to continue to grow and inspire others that they can too. Determination is the key to all of this, setting goals, fulfilling them, and setting new goals.”

Working with such a universal item such as food helps bridge connections between groups of people, something she loves. The diversity of the team she works with helps everyone stay strong and supportive of one another.

“It is amazing to work in an industry where no matter your background everyone can relate to one another with food. Food has been bringing people together since the beginning of time, it gives everyone something to bond over,” she said. “We are able to teach with recipes from all different cultures, religions and ethnicities.”

Scully reflects often on the following quote from Alex Elle: “I am thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.” She said recognizing what your struggles are and turning them into strengths is such a rewarding feeling.

“You will have struggles on your path to success, it’s how you deal with them that will set you apart from the rest,” she said. “When you run into problems it is your job to come up with a solution and not let that issue hold you back from achieving your goals.”

Throughout March, we’ll be highlighting women across campus who have made their mark on Schoolcraft College. This week, it’s Joi Durant, Student Account Associate in Financial Services.

We’re highlighting women whose work is inspired by this year’s theme for Women’s History Month: “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” 

For Joi Durant, Women’s History Month is synonymous with American history.

The Student Account Associate in Financial Services said the sacrifice of those championing causes important to the nation don’t go unnoticed.

“We are reaping daily the benefits of the work in this area,” she said. “Despite all that has been accomplished there’s still much work to be done.”

In addition to her role in Financial Services, Durant holds a piece of history at Schoolcraft College: she is the founder of the Black Student Union, an organization that continues to this day. She remains involved with the group as its advisor.

She said such a group was important to help Black students feel comfortable and supported on campus.

“As the first person in my family to attend college, I recognized the need for representation in this space,” Durant said. “It’s really exciting to see that the College has adapted the same notion and is working toward, creating and carrying out initiatives that support and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. It feels like we’re finally moving in the right direction.”  

 In addition to advising students, Durant also serves as the president of the Schoolcraft College Association of Office Professionals, a position she’s held since 2021. She said she is the first woman of color to hold this position.

Durant said the value of we each have to bring to the table is magnified when diversity is present.

“For this reason, I remained relentless in my pursuit of gaining access to spaces that would provide platform for me to express my viewpoint on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of diversity,” she said.  

Her motivations go beyond the campus: she said her children are what keeps her going and pushes her to be her best self.

“I want to make sure they have the best life possible, so I always try my hardest to help make the world a better place for them,” Durant said. “Even if things are slow in changing, even when I have no clue how, I want them to know that speaking up for what they believe in and finding ways to reinforce that belief with positive action can really make a difference.”