Janet Painter named director of general education

Lenoir-Rhyne University is pleased to announce the hiring of Janet Painter, Ph.D., as the new director of general education. Painter has been at LR since 2003 in a variety of roles. She also serves as the director of institutional assessment and is a tenured professor of education.

In her new role, Painter will provide program, pedagogical and administrative leadership for the general education program, serve as a critical campus resource for general education program information, and supervise the coordinator of the First-Year Experience. In addition, she will be responsible for partnerships with other units in the newly formed Student, Faculty and Institutional Success Collaborative, which aims to advance student success through teaching excellence and continuous institutional assessment and improvement.

“Janet is a highly experienced and accomplished educator and administrator with a deep commitment to the liberal arts, and I’m thrilled that she has accepted this new role,” said Jennifer Burris, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. “I am confident that she will be a strong and innovative leader of our general education program and will help us enhance student and faculty success.”

General education requirements, which comprise about one-third of a student’s academic requirements at LR, allow students to experience the breadth and depth offered in the liberal arts and across disciplines while developing a foundation for lifelong learning. The model for general education encompasses five learning areas that enhance self-awareness and vocational discernment—global challenges, communication, health and wellness, ways of knowing the world and professional transitions. All undergraduate students, regardless of major, experience novel approaches to teaching and learning in the liberal arts and other areas to prepare them for a life of meaning and purpose and to help them identify their talents, gifts and passions so that they can use them to make the world a better place.

"I am excited to take on this new role at LR and continue to work with such a talented group of faculty and staff," said Painter. "I am committed to providing our students with a high-quality general education experience that will prepare them for success. Embracing a range of topics and experiences within our general education curriculum allows LR students to think and grow as unique whole persons, something they carry with them for a lifetime, and which is an important part of the mission of Lenoir-Rhyne University.”

Painter holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Bachelor of Arts from Lenoir-Rhyne. She will begin her new role on June 15, 2023.