90% of Albertus Magnus full time faculty hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree in their field
Faculty at Albertus Magnus College engage in the practices of lifelong learning in their chosen fields and in their profession as teacher-scholars. Inside and outside of the classroom, high impact practices utilized by our faculty prepare Albertus Magnus students for life and a fulfilling career. In addition to their academic credentials our faculty are published authors, international artists, and successful leaders in their field.
Student-to-Faculty Ratio is 13:1
Practical, student-faculty research and conference presentations are shared annually at the College-wide Experiential Learning Day. Student faculty collaborative research is rewarding in many respects. This form of experiential learning fosters engagement, leads to higher quality learning, increases knowledge of recent work in a field, develops skills and competitiveness for jobs and graduate studies, and promotes mentor relationships with faculty.
“The research program at Albertus Magnus College has given me incredible opportunities that I never thought were even possible. I was given the chance to use my knowledge and design a hands-on study, where my team members and I actually conducted and analyzed research on texting and communication. Our work was even given recognition at the New England Psychological Association conference where we presented our poster. This was such a nerve-wracking, but amazing experience! This program has exposed me to many different areas in the psychological world. I have acquired many skills through this research experience enabling me to become a better learner, listener, and leader.” Emily Matousek, Class of 2013
Faculty Spotlights
Meet Professor Charles Rafferty, M.F.A.
Charles Rafferty is the Director for the Master in Fine Arts in Writing program at Albertus Magnus. He holds a B.A. from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Literature and Language and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas. Professor Rafferty has published numerous poetry books and chapbooks and is a frequent poetry contributor to The New Yorker.
Meet Professor Howard C. Fero, Ph.D.
Dr. Howard Fero is the Director of Graduate Leadership Programs and a Professor of Management and Leadership at Albertus Magnus College. He is an author, speaker, professor, consultant, and executive coach who inspires and empowers others to achieve their leadership potential, identify and focus their motivation, and create and work on high performing work teams. Dr. Fero is the author of the book, Lead Me Out to the Ballgame: Stories and Strategies to Develop Major League Leadership, which offers leadership strategies to people in all walks of life and is based on over one hundred interviews with Major League Baseball players and managers. Dr. Fero is active in many organizations and serves on the Boards of Directors of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and the Connecticut Chapter of Conscious Capitalism.
Meet Professor Angel Duncan, MA, MFT, ATR
Assistant professor and director of the Department of Master of Arts and Art Therapy and Counseling Program: Professor Duncan will be overseeing the MAATC department and teaching courses in art therapy. Prior to this, Duncan was the director of education/rater and research associate at the Neuropsychiatric Research Center of Southwest Florida. Duncan earned her bachelor’s degree at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas and earned a double master’s at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California with her research at Stanford University. She worked at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at the University of California-San Francisco and was the program director and supervisor for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California. Duncan is a doctoral candidate in psychology with a focus in gerontology at Northcentral University in Scottsdale, Arizona. Duncan looks forward to working at Albertus and promoting the department.
Meet Professor Jon Sozek, Ph.D.
Assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion: Professor Sozek joins the Albertus family from Fairfield University, where he was a lecturer in the Religious Studies Department. He has also served as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in the Theology Department at Fordham University. His research focuses on 20th Century Catholic thought and the intersections of philosophy and theology. Professor Sozek holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Brown University, a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Philosophy from Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, a Master’s in Religious Studies from McGill University in Montreal, and a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. A resident of Hamden, Sozek is a member of the Work Group on Dominican Heritage and Mission here at Albertus Magnus College.
Meet Professor Jeffrey Gangwisch, M.F.A.
Assistant professor, Department of Visual and Performing Arts: Professor Gangwisch serves the art department with a focus on new media production. They join the Albertus faculty from Baltimore, Maryland, where they worked as an intermedia artist and served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC). Gangwisch was a Fulbright Media Scholar in the United Kingdom and earned their bachelor’s at the University of New Orleans, their master’s from Falmouth University in Cornwall, UK, and their MFA from UMBC. A new resident of New Haven, Gangwisch hopes to join community efforts that support local arts and culture.
Meet Professor Nabil Elias, M.D.
Dr. Nabil Elias is a Doctor of Medicine, also holding E.M.D and M.B.A degrees. Dr. Elias has thirty-years of international experience in business and management, specializing in healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. He has provided strategic support to more than twelve markets in an overseas multi-cultural region, managed and participated in many pilot monitoring and evaluation, communication, education, training and public awareness projects. Dr. Elias is a management consultant to a number of US firms, a speaker and member of the Coptic Orthodox Church Diocese of New York and New England, and a member of the International Honor Society in Business Administration.
About the Author
Sean P. O’Connell joined Albertus Magnus College in 1987 as a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy and Religion. He became the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty in 2013. Dr. O’Connell received his B.A., summa cum laude and M.S. degrees in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America and his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University, and attended the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership (MLE). His research interests are in Contemporary Continental Philosophy, the Philosophy of Art, and Gender Studies. He has been the lead author on several successful grants to support faculty development and the use of high impact practices. Dr. O’Connell provides leadership and oversight of all aspects of academic life at the College, which includes faculty recruitment and development, undergraduate and graduate programs in the Undergraduate Division and the Division of Professional and Graduate Studies, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, the Registrar’s Office, the Career Services and Internship Office, and academic advising.