Kerrie Fineran appointed interim associate vice chancellor for student wellness at Purdue Fort Wayne

Kerrie Fineran, associate professor and chair of the Department of Counseling and Graduate Education at Purdue University Fort Wayne, has received a three-year appointment as interim associate vice chancellor in the Division of Enrollment Management and the Student Experience.

Fineran’s new responsibilities as interim associate vice chancellor for student wellness include oversight of the Office of Conduct and Care, the Disability Access Center, the Student Assistance Program offered through Counseling Services, and WellRec.

“Kerrie Fineran brings with her nearly two decades of experience in this field, a wealth of institutional knowledge, and a proven leadership track record as outgoing chair of the Department of Counseling and Graduate Education,” said Krissy Creager, vice chancellor for enrollment management and the student experience. “Student mental health and wellness continues to be a critical component of our strategic plan, of student success in general, and of supreme importance throughout higher education nationwide. I am extremely excited that Kerrie has accepted a position that helps the university strengthen its effectiveness in these areas.”

As part of this organizational change, the Office of the Dean of Students is being renamed the Office of Student Conduct and Care to more accurately convey its purpose and responsibilities. Under the leadership of Abby Blackmon, the Office of Student Conduct and Care will work closely with Fineran to ensure its crucial role in supporting student success and well-being is clearly understood and utilized among all members of the university community. 

Beginning with the 2023–24 academic year, PFW will move to self-operating mental health counseling for students. For the upcoming academic year that starts Aug. 22, the university will continue to work with The Bowen Center to provide services through the Student Assistance Program while laying the foundation to adopt the new self-operating model beginning in August 2023. The Bowen Center will continue to serve as referral partner for PFW in the future.

Creager describes the addition of Fineran as interim associate vice chancellor for student wellness as an important development in the “exciting and purposeful partnership” between the Division of Enrollment Management and the Student Experience, the university’s Master of Science in Counselor Education degree program, and PFW’s current Community Counseling Center.

Fineran specializes in both school and mental health counseling, addictions counseling, suicide prevention, trauma intervention and training, clinical supervision, and group counseling. She has experience working in college counseling centers, on crisis response teams, and with student conduct referrals.

Off campus, Fineran serves on the board of Mental Health America and numerous state and national professional organizations. She earned a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from the University of Toledo, a master’s in counseling from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s in psychology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.