with Carla Narrett
Born:
Iron Mountain, Mich.
Raised:
Ishpeming, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Resides:
West Orange
Education:
B.S., psychology/mental retardation/elementary education, summa cum laude,
Northern Michigan University
M.S., Ph.D., school psychology, Syracuse University
Family:
Husband, Rick
Hobbies:
Reading mystery novels
Favorite authors:
Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton
Interests:
Theater, ballet and opera
Favorite performance:
"Madame Butterfly"
Music:
Everything from jazz and the blues to opera to The Rolling Stones
Carla Narrett makes you feel at home the moment you walk
through the door of the Graduate School. Her warm personality makes her
easy to talk to and she's a good listener. This could be attributed to
her training as a licensed psychologist, but those who know her will tell
you it's just a part of who she is.
Carla's people skills have taken the graduate program to new heights in
her seven years as dean. "You need to be a good collaborator because
you need to work well with faculty and students to facilitate new program
development," she said. "Those skills I learned as a psychologist."
Carla began her career as an elementary/middle school psychologist, and
for a short time had a private practice. But it was a position at Alfred
University in which she discovered her true calling. "I always enjoyed
university settings," she said. "It was just another way of
working with students at a different level and I fell in love with it."
Carla spent 14 years at Alfred, the last two as associate dean, which
she says gave her a taste of administration. "I had spent a lot of
time developing graduate programs, so when the position opened here, the
fit was right," she said. "I was hired at a time when Montclair
State was developing its first doctoral program, and the University was
looking for growth in the Graduate School."
Seven years later, Carla is proud of the changes that have taken place.
"We've grown tremendously, not only in enrollment, from 2,900 to
3,700 graduate students, but in terms of the services we offer and the
professionalism with which our staff approaches them," she said.
"We are focused on student service."
Technology is playing a significant role in increasing the
efficiency and effectiveness of the School as the Internet is being used
to conduct online surveys, e-mail communication, registration and even
applications. In the area of curriculum, Carla said, "The most significant
advance is the addition of two doctoral programs, the first in pedagogy
four years ago and, most recently, our second in environmental
management. This broadens the base of what Montclair State offers
to the citizens of this state and it really shows the caliber of our faculty."
Carla's high energy and dedication are evident as she talks about reaching
the next level: improving retention. "It's a big focus right now,"
she said. "We want to make sure students finish their degree program
with us."
Meeting the students' needs is among Carla's highest priorities. The Graduate
School offers workshops and is exploring options for scheduling classes
that would be most convenient for its student population."We did
a survey of our enrolled graduate students and overwhelmingly they are
interested in weekend courses," she said. "More than 80 percent
of them are part-time, they are in their mid-30s, most are working full
time and many have families. The evening courses are great, but sometimes
they're even looking for compressed courses over four or five weekends.
That's a direction we'd like to go in."
Although you won't find a therapist's couch in her office, Carla is still
willing to lend an ear. "I'd like to think I'm approachable and I
like to problem-solve," she said. "One of my strengths is always
keeping an open mind."
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