Wednesday, Feb 6, 2013
Dr. Patricia Mosto, dean of Rider’s College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences.
by Sean Ramsden
Dr. Patricia Mosto, dean of Rider’s College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences (CLAES), was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences. Mosto, who came to Rider in 2009 from Rowan University, was one of four deans elected to the CCAS Board. She will serve a three-year term that expires in November 2015.
Founded in 1965, CCAS “is a national association of baccalaureate degree-granting colleges of arts and sciences whose purpose is to sustain the arts and sciences as a leading influence in American higher education,” according to CCAS.net, the organization’s website. CCAS membership includes nearly 680 deans of colleges of arts and sciences at 444 institutions in the United States, Canada, Kuwait, and Qatar.
“Really, we’re deans working for deans,” said Mosto, who was elected at the organization’s annual convention in Seattle. “We’re able to share our experiences, case studies and other information in ways that promote understanding about the disciplines within arts and sciences.”
Mosto has big plans for her work with CCAS, which she joined in 2007.
“I value tremendously what they do, and I want to serve the group in a better way,” Mosto said. “We’ve gained 31 new member schools over the last two years, and I want to help keep that momentum going.”
A biologist by academic background, Mosto – a native of Argentina – has also published several volumes of poetry, an interest that affirms her commitment to the liberal arts.
“It’s one of the challenges we face as deans of arts and sciences colleges, making sure that the value of the liberal arts is maintained,” she said.
Mosto has conducted research for the Naval Service for Investigation and Development in Argentina, as well as Rohm & Hass, Corp., and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Pennsylvania. Her work has also been published in more than 100 publications and presentations. Mosto has received research grants totaling more than $1 million dollars.
Mosto holds a doctorate in Environmental Biology from the University of Buenos Aires-Argentina. She also holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from Drexel University, a master’s degree in Phycology (the study of algae) from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in Aquatic Biology from the University of Buenos Aires-Argentina. In addition, Mosto holds a N.T.A. in Education from the Teachers College N 6-Argentina.