Ellen Beaulieu, Ed.D.
Location
As the vice president for Strategy and Communications, Dr. Ellen Beaulieu leads a top-performing Communications team of over 20 professionals who enhance the institution’s reputation with marketing, design, writing, social media, website management, and crisis communication expertise. The team has won numerous prestigious media and public relations awards, including multiple Golden Arrow Awards for media excellence and outstanding magazines. The Communications team has also achieved many Broderson Awards for marketing and design, as well as the prestigious Webby Award for outstanding mobile web design and the University Standard of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association in 2024.
Dr. Beaulieu began her notable academic career as a faculty member at Westbrook College, beginning in 1982. She then served for 10 years as the director of the Dental Hygiene program, where she introduced the concept of dental public health. That focus led to UNE’s establishment of the first fully online Master of Public Health degree in the country. Dr. Beaulieu also served as faculty senate president and a member of the president’s transition team during the merger between Westbrook College and the University of New England, providing advocacy and change management for Westbrook College faculty, students, and administrators.
During her tenure at UNE, Dr. Beaulieu consistently demonstrated dedication, commitment, and a spirit of optimism. She became a tenured full professor in 2003 and has since excelled as an educational and administrative leader, directing strategic planning, teaching on campus and online, and implementing new programs. One of her hallmark achievements was leading the planning and design of UNE’s trailblazing dental school, which opened in 2012. She galvanized resources and earned widespread regional stakeholder and philanthropic support to create an educational model where students provide much-needed dental care to rural populations beyond the confines of the customary teaching clinic.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Beaulieu has held influential vice president and associate provost roles at the University of New England. Before advancing to organization-wide leadership, she had an indelible impact on the Westbrook College of Health Professions, advancing through assistant, associate, and interim dean positions.
As the vice president of Strategic Initiatives, she partnered closely on strategic planning and innovative options with presidents and trustees to implement forward-thinking strategies to advance the University’s mission of “Innovation for a Healthier Planet.” She constantly instituted best practices and policies that allowed decision-makers and teams to bring initiatives to life.
Dr. Beaulieu’s success is built on ongoing learning reflective of her career advancement, first earning an Associate of Science from Northeastern University and Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists to, most recently, a Doctor of Education from Nova Southeastern University. She also holds a Master of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hawaii. Her legacy is one of transformative leadership and a relentless pursuit of human empowerment.
Credentials
Research
Selected publications
Beaulieu, E. (1999). The learning culture of the next century: Making connections. Monograph published by Programs for Higher Education at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, originally published on the NSU Florida website in 2000.
Beaulieu, E. & Dufour, L. (2000) The primary care physician in the prevention of early childhood caries. Consultant, 40, (6), 1129–1138.
Beaulieu, E. (2000) Community based dental hygiene care in the Unites States. Contact International: The Journal of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists, 14 (2), 4–8.
Beaulieu, E., Dufour, L., & Beaudet, R. (2000). Community partnerships for better oral health. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 74 (11), 131–134.
"Partnerships for Better Oral Health," International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 1, 2003;101–104. "Early childhood caries prevention: Early intervention by the dental hygienist," The Journal of Practical Hygiene. May/June, 2001, 15–19.
Other scholarly activity
- Teaching and evaluating the first dental hygiene programs in Shanghai, China as a Project Hope fellow in 1987.
- Keynote speaker at the 2009 Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners Public Advocacy Conference. Gave a speech titled “Continuing Competence: Is the Public Better Protected?” on the topic of the social contract between the professions and the public.
- Principal investigator on a grant from the Gates Foundation in 2015 to study and implement new models of education, such as competency-based learning, at UNE.
- As a result of the Gates funding the Digital Learning Academy was created in 2016 in cooperation with multiple corporate partners. This non-credit training program linked learners with companies, using a CBE model. Almost 100 learners were placed in advanced-beyond-coding digital technology positions within 6 months.
- Selected to participate in the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership in 2016. The Academy is a unique program developed by Presidents Michael Crow of Arizona State University and John DeGioia of Georgetown University to address the challenges facing higher education in the United States.
- Fulbright Administration Scholar to France and Germany in 2017.
- Researched new models of training options that have been created to combat the traditional system to open education and training opportunities to a broad and diverse population.
Research interests
Improving oral health in community settings through program development and policy analysis.
Innovative new models of education and training.