Ketcham, a professor of exercise science, and Essary, a professor of Italian studies, will provide support for incoming Elon College Dean Hilton Kelly when he joins the university administration on June 1.
Two preeminent scholars in their fields have been selected to serve as associate deans of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, beginning June 1, 2024.
Professors Caroline Ketcham and Brandon Essary, highly respected teacher-scholar-mentors with a deep commitment to relationship-driven, student-centered achievement in the liberal arts and sciences, each bring to their new roles demonstrated leadership in advancing key institutional and college priorities.
Ketcham served from 2014-2022 as chair of the Department of Exercise Science and co-founded the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute. Essary currently chairs the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
The new associate deans will support incoming Elon College Dean Hilton Kelly when he joins the university administration on June 1. They will work closely with department chairs and program coordinators to enhance teaching, mentoring and scholarship in the arts and sciences.
Ketcham and Essary will succeed Associate Dean Nancy Harris and Associate Dean Kirby Wahl, both of whom conclude their longtime dedicated service to the college at the end of the spring semester.
About Caroline Ketcham
Caroline Ketcham joined the Elon University faculty in 2007 and quickly established herself as a premier scholar in the field of motor neuroscience, as well as an advocate for the success of students and colleagues alike. Ketcham chaired the Department of Exercise Science from 2014 to 2022 and co-directs the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute, which focuses on concussion management and mental well-being in athletes. She also directed Elon’s Health Professions Advising Program from 2012-2015. Among other honors, Ketcham was recognized in 2023 with Elon’s Distinguished Scholar Award and the Coastal Athletic Association’s Research Scholar Award, in 2017 with Elon’s Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award, and in 2014 with the Elon College Outstanding Service Award.
She has advanced areas of inclusive excellence and well-being for students, faculty, and staff, notably as co-chair of the Wellness and Well-Being Workgroup and co-chair of the DEI Faculty Professional Development and Evaluation Workgroup. Ketcham also served on the task force that created the vision for Elon’s new HealthEU Center, planned to open in 2026. She was selected as a Center for Engaged Learning Scholar from 2021 to 2023 where she focused on providing equitable experiences for physically disabled and neurodiverse students.
Ketcham holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colby College and a master’s degree and doctorate in exercise science and motor control from Arizona State University.
About Brandon Essary
Since arriving at Elon in 2013, Brandon Essary has distinguished himself as a collaborative leader and teacher of Italian language and culture. Promoted this spring to full professor, Essary has chaired the Department of World Languages and Cultures since 2022 after serving as interim chair and associate chair. Among other leadership experiences, Essary served as Elon’s language assessment coordinator from 2019-2023, working with various university offices to revise and administer the language assessment process for all incoming students annually. He also has served on several searches and committees, including the Quality Enhancement Plan for Data Competency and the Micro-Credentials Advisory Committee.
Essary’s scholarship of teaching and learning led to the development of innovative courses, including ITL 1790: Intensive Italian for Gamers, which engages student learning through immersive video games and is recognized as one of the first of its kind. He is co-editor-in-chief of Annali d’italianistica, a leading Italian studies journal, and a 2022 recipient of the college’s Excellence in Teaching Award. He also received the SGA Academic Council’s 2021 Gerald Francis Outstanding Faculty Person of the Year Award.
Essary holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Clemson University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in Italian studies from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
About Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences
Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences provides the foundation for the study of the liberal arts and sciences at Elon University. The college is comprised of 21 departments and 31 interdisciplinary programs across three branches: the arts and humanities; natural, mathematical and computational sciences; and social and behavioral sciences. It hosts Elon’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society celebrating excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.
Committed to the growth of students’ intellectual curiosity, intercultural competence and critical thinking, the college champions disciplinary knowledge and interdisciplinary applications to reflect upon, respond to and offer solutions to complex problems in an interconnected and changing world.
With more than 45 majors and 65 minors, the college is Elon University’s largest academic division. Two-thirds of the nearly 1,600 students who graduate from Elon annually do so with at least one major or minor in the college. Within a year, over 90% of college graduates report employment in their chosen field or enrollment in top post-graduate programs.
Undergraduates take courses in state-of-the-art facilities — including 60,000 square feet of engineering and physics spaces in Founders and Innovation halls — perform and train in Elon’s nationally ranked Music Theatre Program and engage with emerging issues by conducting the Elon University Poll.
Students receive mentorship in research, internships, and community-based learning from expert faculty, regularly leading them to publish and present their work. Dozens are selected annually to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and they are often recognized with highly competitive awards from the Fulbright Scholars Program, the Goldwater Scholarship, and the U.S. State Department’s Critical Language Program. The college’s seven Fellows and Scholars programs foster excellence in academic inquiry, provide close mentorship and lead to high achievement.
College faculty are prolific and preeminent scholars and creators in their fields, recognized for expertise at national and international levels. Each year, its more than 300 full-time faculty publish hundreds of articles, chapters, and books, and they present at scores of conferences and events. Their scholarship results in grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Institutes of Health and other prominent centers of research.