Ruth Olmsted

Professionally, I spent my entire career in academe, from part-time/adjunct teaching in 1974 while working toward my PhD in Comparative Literature, through full-time teaching at two colleges and a prep school, and finally 26 years at Excelsior College. Excelsior is an external degree program for adult learners who complete their studies through coursework and assessment of prior learning. These adult learners include three unique populations: nursing students; active duty and veteran military students; and Orthodox Jewish students. For the first 21 years, I served in the assessment group, developing college-level proficiency exams and portfolio assessment systems and advising on the applicability of other exams to degree programs. My last 5 years I was a Program Director (department chair) in the School of Liberal Arts, responsible for the general (non-major) liberal arts programs. One of my programs offered degree completion options to soldiers at the Sergeants Major Academy (Ft. Bliss, Texas). Working with the military mindset was an eye-opening experience for a Quaker and provoked some interesting discussions with colleagues! The other key program, one that I began developing while I was in the assessment group, allowed Orthodox Jewish students to pursue an Excelsior degree without compromising their religious principles. We also offered an Israel Study Abroad program for which we evaluated the curricula of more than 30 post-secondary institutions for college credit. Since my retirement in April 2019, I have continued service to the Orthodox population as a consultant in test development and portfolio assessment for Excelsior and for Elyon College and Genesis University, which serve this population exclusively.

Other experience highlights, possibly relevant to the Wilmington College Board of Trustees:

Accreditation and evaluation reviews: I was in a leadership position during two cycles of self-review for Excelsior’s Middle States accreditation. All of our exams were evaluated multiple times by the American Council on Education. I also helped the School of Nursing and the School of Business & Technology with their specialized accreditation reviews.

Program and course development: I love curriculum and course design and have indulged that love at all my institutions. At Excelsior, the Judaic Studies program and the competency-based general liberal arts capstone course were my signature projects. I developed new courses wherever I was teaching through my whole career.

Degree completion insights: Since my earliest encounters with returning adult students, I have been dedicated to enabling efficient and mindful degree completion. I think Wilmington would benefit from looking at additional options here.

Professional/technical editing: I have years of experience polishing and tightening other people’s writing, re-casting written and oral presentations for different audiences, and providing expert guidance on language and style.

Friends ties: I am co-clerk of my Monthly Meeting. I have taught at William Penn College and Wilmington and belong to the Friends Association for Higher Education. I have been involved with FCNL since around 1979, most of that time as a General Committee member and including service on the Policy, Field, Futures, Annual Meeting Planning, Personnel, and Nominating committees. With Sterling Olmsted and Mike Heller, I edited the second volume of the Nonviolence and Social Change series, Mohandas K. Gandhi: The Last Eighteen Years.