Alison LaLond Wyant , Ed.D.
Executive Director, Civic and Global Engagement
- PHONE
- (215) 517-2559
- lalondwyanta@arcadia.edu
Biography
- Education
Loyola University Maryland
Political Science
Bachelor or ArtsUniversity of Pennsylvania
Master of Science in Education and Doctor of Education
Dr. Alison LaLond Wyant serves as the Executive Director of Arcadia's Division of Civic and Global Engagement. The portfolio includes study abroad, international student services, community partnership, and advocacy. Alison also directs the Arcadia Civic Scholars program. Her vision includes every Arcadia student developing a sense of global interdependence and a sense of their own agency to affect positive change.
New in 2021, the Division of Civic and Global Engagement brings together many of the threads of Alison's previous work at Arcadia. Alison first joined the University in 2012. Working in the College of Global Studies, Alison oversaw curriculum development at Arcadia’s 11 centers around the world. Then, in 2019, Alison took on a role weaving social impact into the institution's strategic plan and launching Civic Scholars, a special admission program for students interested in civic engagement and social change.
Before joining Arcadia, Alison worked at the University of Pennsylvania, serving most recently as the Stouffer College House Dean. Alison had also worked for several other mission-driven offices at Penn: The Greenfield Intercultural Center, The Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and Civic House.
Before her career in higher education, Alison worked in direct service organizations in Baltimore, Maryland, including Habitat for Humanity, where she served a term through AmeriCorps.
Alison is a strong advocate of teaching and learning environments that promote the development of students’ social consciousness and leadership capacity. She has taught courses on urban community engagement, service-learning pedagogy, multiculturalism in higher education, and global connections. Alison enjoys encouraging students both to bring their academic work to bear on real-world problems and to let lived and observed experiences influence their scholarly pursuits.
Originally from Massachusetts, Alison earned her B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University in Maryland and her MSEd and EdD from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation was about Penn's relationship with its neighboring public high school. Her ongoing questions of interest are about what's possible when institutions collaborate with their communities toward social change and how best to spur young people toward civic engagement.
Alison and her family reside in Glenside, and the remaining four of her top five favorite places in the world (so far) are Galway, Ireland; Cascais, Portugal; Cape Town, South Africa; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
- Arcadia Community UKnights for Semester Kick-off Meeting
- Faculty, Staff, Students “Uknight” for Social Innovation and Freedom of Speech
- Draft Vision Statement, High-impact Projects Presented at Jan. 15 Campuswide Faculty Senate Meeting
- Arcadia Establishes Office of Social Impact and Innovation
- Career Education and SI2 Host Social Impact Careers Lunch
- Arcadia Community Members Get Counted At Home
- Community Supports Students in Need Through Arcadia Food Pantry
- Arcadia Collaborates with Senator Haywood for Online Social Change Course
- SI2 Reflects on 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote
- Arcadia Votes Encourages Voting on National Voter Registration Day
- Arcadia Community Reflects on Legacy of Justice Ginsburg
- Arcadia Votes Awarded Grants to Encourage Voter Turnout
- Make a Plan and Vote, Nov. 3
- Arcadia Awarded HealthSpark Grant for Graduate Civic Scholars Program
- Arcadia Students Attend 2024 PA Student Voting Summit