Jennifer Joyce

Jennifer Joyce is the Dean of the First-Year Class at Smith College. She oversees the academic progress of first-year students and collaborates with the Liberal Arts Advising Program. With a career spanning decades, Dean Joyce has extensive experience in first-year education, previously serving as Associate Director of the Center for Irish Studies and Teaching Professor at Villanova University’s Augustine and Culture First-Year Seminar Program. She has also taught at George Washington University and the Catholic University of America.

• Education: Doctorate in English from the University of Rhode Island; Bachelor’s and Master’s in English with concentrations in honors, gender and women’s studies, and theology from Villanova University.

Research & Teaching Focus: Specializes in contemporary American and Irish literature, integrating cultural studies, justice studies, and interdisciplinary approaches to enhance first-year education. Her work emphasizes the transition from high school to college within a residential liberal arts framework.

Scientific Awards:

• Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching
• Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

Dean Joyce also designed and coordinated a first-year international summer internship program in Dublin, Ireland, and remains actively engaged in academic advising and student mentorship.