College Associate Dean to Join Misericordia University

Charles J. Brody, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNC Charlotte, has been named vice president of academic affairs at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. He begins his new role at Misericordia on July 1.

“We will miss Dr. Brody,” said Dean Nancy Gutierrez. “Many people at UNC Charlotte know him as Associate Dean, but he initially came to the university in 2001 as Chair of Sociology and Anthropology, served as Chair of Sociology when the two areas separated into individual departments, and then also served as Interim Chair of Geography and Earth Sciences in 2008-09. Charlie has contributed a great deal to the college and university in these leadership roles. His good humor, strong academic values, and unambiguous integrity also have served us well during his 14-year tenure, and that will be difficult to replace.”

Brody’s responsibilities included oversight of development of new and revision of existing undergraduate and graduate curricula across the college, and overseeing the college’s program review process and assessment of student learning outcomes.

Thomas J. Botzman, president of Misericordia University, spoke of Brody as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator. “He understands the inner workings of a complex university and will ably serve with our exceptional faculty as a champion for the entire academic community,” Botzman said. “Dr. Brody also understands the mission at Misericordia University and is prepared to lead us into a successful future as a young university in the Mercy tradition.”

At Misericordia University, Brody will be the chief academic officer with oversight of academic programs and personnel, and affiliated units such as the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library and the Student Success Center.

He has long been associated with the Religious Sisters of Mercy who founded Misericordia University. He attended Mercy-sponsored elementary and secondary schools, and his sisters, Sister Elizabeth Brody, RSM, director of the Mineral Springs Learning Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Sister Mary Ellen Brody, RSM, of St. Louis, Mo., are Religious Sisters of Mercy.

Brody holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Loyola University of New Orleans, and a master’s degree in sociology from the University of New Orleans. He earned his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. Brody came to UNC Charlotte in 2001, as a professor of sociology. In addition to his administrative roles in the college, he served one year – 2005-06 – as an American Council on Education Fellow at Towson University, Towson, Md.

From 1981-86, Brody was an assistant professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He also was an associate professor of sociology and chair of the Department of Sociology at Tulane University in New Orleans where he served from 1986-2001.

He is a widely published scholar on topics including public opinion about nuclear power, employment among high school students, female gun ownership, and managers’ behavior in the workplace. In addition, he has written several technical reports and reviews, submitted and been awarded numerous grants, and made scholarly presentations at conferences.

His professional service includes being an associate editor and editorial board member for the journal Social Science Research since 1999; being a referee for the American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Deviant Behavior, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Journal of Suicide & Life Threatening Behavior, Public Opinion Quarterly and several others.

He is married to Dr. Beth A. Rubin, also a professor of sociology, organizational science and public policy, and director of UNC Charlotte’s Ph.D. in Public Policy Program