Sister Mary Sarah Fasenmyer (1922-2013) served in several capacities at the University: she served as Director of the Curriculum Development Center, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, and Dean in the School of Education, all at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

The School of Education saw several Deans. Two, Dean Mary Sarah Fasenmyer (Dean, 1970-1973) and Dean Raymond Steimel (1973-1984) were particularly significant during the School of Education period.

Sister Mary Sarah Fasenmyer (1922-2013) served in several capacities at the University: she served as Director of the Curriculum Development Center, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, and Dean in the School of Education, all at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She oversaw the institution of several new programs as a result of studies of the School, including the institution of several specific concentrations of study leading to the M.A. and doctoral degrees, and the offering of both the Ph.D. and the Ed.D. degrees. Additionally, a Council on Teacher Education was established at the University to oversee teacher preparation programs there. 

Dean Raymond Steimel (1924-2014) became Dean after serving on the faculties of first, Psychology, then Education. Steimel oversaw a period of faculty expansion and stability. As departmental historian John Convey writes, the School of Education “during the tenure of Dean Steimel had a culture characterized by calmness, professionalism and business-as-usual daily routine, absent the considerable rancor that had characterized the School earlier.” (Convey, 45) Undergraduate education, in particular, was emphasized, the Ed.D. program was eliminated, and the M.A. programs were reorganized.

Among other changes, Steimel oversaw the establishment of two endowed chairs as Dean: the International Federation of Catholic Alumnae established a chair in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Euphemia Lofton Haynes Chair. The latter came as a result of a bequest of Lofton Haynes, the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics in the U.S. (earned at Catholic University of America), and a renowned educator in Washington, D.C. 

Source:

John J. Convey, Professor of Education at The Catholic University of America, “The Catholic University Department of Education, 1908-2021 (Unpublished manuscript, 2021), Special Collections, Archives, The Catholic University of America, 39-50.