On Wednesday, Saint Mary’s announced Megan Zwart’s transition from interim
provost to the position permanently, and becoming vice president for academic affairs.
Zwart obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, English and Greek from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She later received her doctorate degree in philosophy from Notre Dame in 2010.
During her time at the College, she has served as an associate professor and chair in the philosophy department for a total of 16 years. As an associate professor, she started The Dialogue and Civil Discourse Project to open conversations in an academic setting on controversial issues following the 2016 election. This led to the development of the course, “PHIL 291: Dialogue and Civil Discourse,” a peer leadership program, and The Dialogue and Democracy Institute, a high school summer program.
For the 2024-25 school year, she coordinated with other faculty members to have the project incorporated into the Avenue Experience, the College's first-year programming for students where instructors are equipped for political conversations and interactions. Her publications on dialogue and virtues have been featured in America Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at Indiana University and the Journal of Moral Theology.
Since July 2024, Zwart has served as the interim provost, where she “has quite seamlessly adjusted to an administrative position, deftly moving forward initiatives that were already underway and tackling new projects and challenges,” according to the College.
She will begin her position for the incoming term on June 1.
