CAS Names Marybeth Drechsler Sharp as Executive Director

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has appointed Dr. Marybeth Drechsler Sharp as Executive Director. She has served in this role on an interim basis since May 2012. Drechsler Sharp is the association's second Executive Director, following in the footsteps of the late Phyllis Mable. CAS was established in 1979 to develop standards that promote college student learning and promote self-assessment for institutional effectiveness.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Drechsler Sharp in this leadership role for CAS," said CAS President Laura Dean. "Her background and skills have already made significant contributions to our processes, and we look forward to the ways that her presence will extend CAS's visibility in the higher education community."
 
Drechsler Sharp completed her doctorate in College Student Personnel at the University of Maryland (UMD), where she also has served as an adjunct instructor. During her doctoral career, Drechsler Sharp worked with student leadership development and service learning initiatives as a graduate staff member for the College Park Scholars living-learning program at UMD. Previously, she served as a residence hall coordinator at the University of Missouri, a graduate hall director at the University of Central Missouri, and an executive board member for the Missouri College Personnel Association.

Drechsler Sharp was a National Study of Living-Learning Programs research team member and a co-researcher for the Autoethnographic Research Group. She has researched and presented on topics of learning outcomes, leadership self-efficacy, dimensions of identity development, student engagement in living-learning environments, and the motives and experiences of faculty members involved with living-learning programs.
 
ACPA: College Student Educators International recently recognized Drechsler Sharp as an Annuit Coeptis Emerging Professional. She also received the 2011 Nevitt Sanford Award from ACPA's Commission for Professional Preparation. Drechsler Sharp resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Sean.
 
Composed of 39 collaborating professional associations representing over 100,000 professionals in higher education, CAS has developed 43 sets of standards and guidelines within diverse areas of the college student experiences. The eighth edition of the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education was released in August 2012, and it is the defining source of professional standards for many of the services provided to students in higher education. The updated publication can be ordered at www.cas.edu. Along with the book, CAS released an updated CD of all 43 functional area self-assessment guides (SAGs).