UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Minerva Matos-Garner, formerly the director of communications in the Department of Computer Science at Duke University, has been named the inaugural director of graduate educational engagement and retention in the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School Office of Educational Engagement Programs (OGEEP), effective as of Aug. 3.
As director of graduate educational engagement and retention, Matos-Garner will oversee and manage graduate student engagement programs led by the Fox Graduate School. She will promote student success through coordinating co-curricular activities that enhance belonging, wellness and professional development, helping students thrive during their time at Penn State and preparing them to go on to find meaningful careers afterward. She also will work to develop new strategies to address acclimation to graduate school, belonging, persistence and community engagement for international and domestic graduate students alike.
“Matos-Garner will be an invaluable asset to our team,” said Stephanie Danette Preston, associate dean for graduate educational engagement in the Fox Graduate School and chief diversity officer for graduate education. “The decades of experience she brings advocating for students will both strengthen and expand our programming efforts, providing students with a better experience at the University and equipping them for a bright future after their time here.”
Matos-Garner will develop new and bolster existing collaborations with academic colleges, student services and University partners to ensure a comprehensive and high-impact student experience with University programming. She’ll also be responsible for evaluating effectiveness and informing future improvements of OGEEP engagement and retention programs.
Prior to her role at Penn State, Matos-Garner spent decades working in higher education, advocating for underrepresented students and teaching English to multilingual learners. Most recently, she worked at Duke University in a variety of capacities, beginning her time there in 2018 as an intercultural communications consultant and lead writing instructor, and later serving as the director of communications for the Alliance for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Computing Education in the Department of Computer Science.
Before her tenure at Duke University, she served at North Carolina State University and Wake Technical Community College as an instructor for an Intensive English program and a test administrator for the College and Career Readiness program, respectively.
Matos-Garner said she’s looking forward to this new chapter at Penn State and is excited to contribute to the University in this meaningful manner.
“I am thrilled to begin this new role with the Fox Graduate School,” she said. “What excites me most is the opportunity to partner with graduate students and colleagues across the Penn State community to advance initiatives that strengthen the graduate student experience and support student success. To me, that's what 'We Are' is all about.”