In recognition of their distinguished teaching, research, and leadership, Dr. Andrea Crivelli-Kovach, professor and director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Public Health, has been named Professor Emerita, and Dr. Richard Wertime, professor of English, has been named Professor Emeritus.

Dr. Crivelli-Kovach joined Arcadia in 1996 as director of the Health Education program, overseeing the program’s transition to a department as founding chair of Public Health. She developed and spearheaded the accreditation of Arcadia’s Master of Public Health degree and helped establish the department’s dual degree options, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Global Health minor, and service abroad opportunities.

Beyond Arcadia, Dr. Crivelli-Kovach co-founded a nutrition consulting practice and research and evaluation business. She has published and presented on various health care topics, including maternity care and breastfeeding practices. In 1994, she developed an evaluation method for the “Global Policy: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.” Additionally, she helped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention develop a national instrument to measure maternity care practices in U.S. hospitals.

Dr. Crivelli-Kovach served as president of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association from 2007 to 2009, and she is the organization’s immediate past president. She sits on steering committees and advisory boards for the Philadelphia College of Physicians, the Association of Accredited Programs in Public Health, the Research Advisory Group for Maternity Care Coalition in Philadelphia, and the Association for Prevention, Teaching, and Research (APTR).

In 2005, Dr. Crivelli-Kovach received APTR grants to develop undergraduate courses in Public Health and Epidemiology, which served as the foundation for Arcadia’s undergraduate major and minor. She was awarded the organization’s F. Marian Bishop Outstanding Educator of the Year Award in 2018.

A Master Certified Health Education Specialist, Dr. Crivelli-Kovach earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology/Biochemistry and a master’s in Nutrition Education from Immaculata College. She earned her doctorate in Community Public Health from Temple University, and was later awarded Temple’s Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award.

Since joining Arcadia in 1975, Dr. Wertime has taught creative writing, contemporary American fiction, and classical literature, with emphasis on works from the Renaissance, Restoration, and 18th century. One of his most popular courses, “Classical and Medieval Literature,” remains a staple of the English Department’s offerings.

During Dr. Wertime’s tenure as director of Graduate Studies in English and the Humanities, Arcadia’s English Department saw a significant increase in enrollment and professional opportunities. He was chief architect and longtime director of Arcadia’s Master of Arts in Humanities program, which he developed during his first year at Beaver College.

Dr. Wertime was instrumental in connecting graduate students with distinguished writers through Arcadia’s “Writers Return to Campus” series. In 2011, he led students to Umbria, Italy, for Arcadia’s first fiction writer’s residency abroad, which helped kick off the University’s M.F.A. in Creative Writing program.

Beyond Arcadia, Dr. Wertime has published short stories, poems, and articles on a range of subjects, including psychology, medieval literature, Shakespeare, Italian culture, and American author Hubert Selby, Jr. His acclaimed memoir, Citadel on the Mountain (2000), was awarded Random House’s James A. Michener Memorial Prize, which recognizes outstanding first books by authors over the age of 40.

As an editor, Dr. Wertime contributed to Archaeology magazine for 23 years, mentored Arcadia students through manuscript and thesis preparation, and conducted writing workshops throughout Philadelphia. Recently, he led “How Do We Know What Other People Know? A Fresh Strategy for Avoiding the Self-evident,” a faculty forum on writing and editing strategies.

Dr. Wertime graduated from Haverford College in 1964 and earned an English doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Described by students as “transformative and life-changing,” he received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1980, as well as Arcadia’s prestigious Professor of the Year award.