New academic director appointed for ACE

Author: Dennis Brown

Thomas L. Doyle, currently a clinical supervisor for the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), has been appointed academic director of the program, effective Aug. 1, 2002.p. An ACE faculty member for the past seven years, he has been responsible for field supervision of the program’s teachers for the last year.p. “Dr. Doyle has seen ACE from several perspectives through the years, making him thoroughly familiar with its structure, goals and ambitions,” said Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., executive vice president of the University, founder of ACE and director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives. “He brings vast experience and insight to his new duties, and I am very pleased that he has accepted this appointment.”p. Doyle was graduated from Notre Dame in 1973 with a doctoral degree in physics. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., and also has completed graduate work in education at Auburn University, Montgomery.p. Doyle has extensive experience in both secondary and post-secondary education. He has taught at McGill Institute, the University of South Alabama, Holy Cross College, and the University of Portland, in addition to Notre Dame. He served for five years as associate superintendent of diocesan schools in Mobile and for 17 years as principal and 12 additional years as president of Montgomery (Ala.) Catholic High School, where he also taught. Doyle also has served for the past 22 years as acting vicar for education in the Archdiocese of Mobile and executive secretary to the Mobile Archdiocesan Board of Catholic Education.p. In addition to his teaching and administrative responsibilities, Doyle has actively participated in a wide array of professional organizations and led numerous workshop presentations for the National Catholic Educational Association.p. Founded in 1994 by Father Scully and Rev. Sean McGraw, C.S.C., ACE is a service through teaching program that gives college graduates the opportunity to earn master of education degrees while serving as full-time teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools nationwide. In exchange for a modest stipend and a tuition-free graduate program, ACE participants make a two-year commitment to teach in these schools.p. More than 80 recent college graduates enter ACE each year. Coming from a wide variety of educational disciplines, the students take courses and engage in teacher-training projects at Notre Dame during their two summers in the program, then are assigned to full-time teaching positions at schools in some 30 cities in 14 states during the school year. Within each city, the ACE students also live in community, sharing the rewards and challenges of teaching. After two years, the students graduate with a master of education degree, and, although not obligated to remain in education, 75 percent stay in the profession in both public and private elementary and secondary schools throughout the country.p. Doyle was selected following a national search that was conducted by a committee chaired by Father Scully and composed of Maureen Hallinan, William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity; John Borkowski, Andrew J. McKenna Family Professor of Psychology; F. Clark Power, chair and professor of liberal studies and concurrent professor in the Master of Education Program and the Department of Psychology; Stuart Greene, O’Malley Director of the First Year Composition Program and associate professor of English; John Staud, director of pastoral formation and administration for ACE; and Joyce Johnstone, Jim and Colleen Ryan Director of ACE Educational Outreach.

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