Education in brief

New dean for UB business school

The University of Bridgeport hired Lance Masters as the new dean of its business school, effective Dec. 1.

In a statement released by the university, Masters said the University of Bridgeport School of Business needs to bring best practices from industry to modernize the curriculum and build distinctive programs.

Masters most recently was provost at Enderun Colleges in the Philippines and is founder of Global Education Management, a consulting company that helps colleges manage accreditation reviews. Previously, he was president of Thiel College in Greenville, Pa.

Masters has a graduate degree in economics from the University of California at Riverside, an MBA from California State University at Bernardino and a Ph.D. and a master of science in executive management from Claremont Graduate University in California.

Sacred Heart gets new provost

Sacred Heart University named Laura Niesen de Abruna provost of academic affairs, with Niesen de Abruna having held a similar role at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

Niesen de Abruna has a bachelor”™s degree in English from Smith College and a doctorate in modern American and British literatures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also has a master”™s degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

NCC opens health and science center

Norwalk Community College held a ribbon-cutting for its Center for Science Health and Wellness on West Campus at 188 Richards Ave. in Norwalk.

Mitchell/Giurgola Architects designed the three-story brick and glass building, with input from NCC staff.

The building includes a simulated hospital unit with patient care rooms replicating the equipment and layout of hospital rooms at Greenwich, Norwalk and Stamford hospitals. The entire facility uses an integrated electronic medical records system. In addition, the facility has a respiratory therapy unit and comprehensive equipment that allows for simulation education with equipment that ranges from digital baby scales, blood pressure cuffs, IV and feeding pumps, to transport stretchers and EKG machines.