Published: July 20, 2008 12:47 am         

New ACM vice presidents eager to meet needs of students, community

Beebe, Perfetti recently arrived on Cumberland campus

Allegany College of Maryland will start the school year with two enthusiastic new vice presidents.

“The people here have been extremely welcoming,” said Barb Beebe, vice president of continuing education and community services, the position that Jon Loff held for 28 years before retiring in June.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting the members of faculty and staff,” said Heather Perfetti, vice president of instructional affairs, the position that was held by Bruce Exstrom before he became the college president when Don Alexander retired in June.

“We have some very big shoes to fill,” said Beebe.

“We are excited to learn more about the history of the college,” said Perfetti, whose first day at ACM was July 1.

Perfetti moved to Ridgeley, W.Va., from Albany, Ga., where she was a program director and an associate dean at Darton College.

Beebe’s first day on the job was June 23. She moved to Frostburg from Pittsfield, Mass., where she operated her own consulting business.

ACM’s wide selection of continuing education courses attracted Beebe to the position.

“I was very impressed with the diverse offering of continuing education courses, and the minute I arrived on campus, I was sold,” said Beebe.

As vice president of continuing education, Beebe is looking forward to reacting quickly to the community’s needs in terms of course offerings.

“We will work to develop courses to fulfill both personal and business needs,” said Beebe.

Perfetti was impressed with ACM’s online course offerings and the sincerity of the faculty and staff.

As vice president of instructional affairs, Perfetti’s role is “to maintain the level of academic integrity that currently exists and assess what new programs are needed.”

“We want to meet the needs of our students,” said Perfetti, who received her undergraduate degree from Frostburg State University.

Perfetti received a bachelor of arts degree in English from FSU; a master of science degree in criminal justice from Troy University in Troy, Ala.; and a juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford.

Beebe received an associate of arts in selected studies from Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass.; a bachelor of arts in liberal arts/management from Southern Vermont College in Bennington; a master of business administration from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst; and a doctor of philosophy degree in postsecondary and adult education from Capella University in Minneapolis.

Contact Jennifer Raley at jraley@times-news.com.