Schools and departments at Columbia College
Our academic programs at Columbia College are housed under content-specific departments within three schools.
School of Arts & Sciences
Robert W. Plaster School of Business
Meet your deans
Dr. Jennifer Jewell
Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences
JJewell@CCIS.eduDean Jewell earned her Ph.D. from the University of Louisville and her Master of Social Work from Spalding University, where she later taught before transitioning to Salisbury University. At Salisbury, she served as a Professor and the Director of the School of Social Work. In her leadership roles, Dean Jewell developed and launched distance education program options at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, spearheaded the creation of comprehensive mentoring initiatives for faculty and students, and expanded work on diversity and equity issues. These efforts earned her the Salisbury University Presidential Diversity Award. Dean Jewell maintains an active research agenda with a focus on anti-racist social work practice, inclusive pedagogy, and academic leadership, authoring numerous book chapters and juried papers. Committed to serving the community, Dean Jewell has been a public servant for over two decades, organizing around economic human rights and racial justice issues, providing mental health counseling, facilitating book discussions with individuals in prison, along with serving as Mayor for a year in her former town.
Jonathon Moberly, JD, MBA
Dean of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business
JDMoberly@CCIS.eduDean Moberly earned his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law, his Master of Business Administration from Lindenwood University, and his B.S. in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University. Dean Moberly spent six years in the sports business industry representing professional football and soccer players before moving into university-level teaching in the Summer of 2007. Dean Moberly then spent seven years as an “entrepreneur adjunct” teaching at eight institutions in the St. Louis area simultaneously along with coaching high school football and track. In May of 2014, Dean Moberly began a nine-year tenure at Concordia University, Nebraska where he was an Associate Professor in Business and the Dean of the College of Business & Technology. Dean Moberly’s research interests include organization culture development and maintenance, particularly in athletic programs, along with experiential learning in business. Dean Moberly has a strong passion for coaching and using that as a channel to help high school students grow.
Dr. Sandra Hamar
Dean of the School of Public Service
SKHamar@CCIS.eduDr. Sandra Hamar, Ed.D. is a life-long educator with a Doctorate in Higher Education; Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Effective Schools from Grand Canyon University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Science Instruction from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Since moving from the public-school arena to higher education in 2005, Dr. Hamar has taught a large part of her coursework within Professional Development School partnerships. She has also focused her research on teacher identity, humanity, and diversity. She put her “walk the walk” philosophy into practice by creating a study abroad opportunity for preservice teachers. Hamar studies the shift in preservice teachers’ identity and self-efficacy after their experience, noting the life changing impacts even a short-term study abroad experience can have on future educators.