Academic Affairs Department

Alan H. Bloomgarden, Ed.D. is the inaugural Director of Experiential Learning at Elms College, where he has been working to coordinate, expand and enhance opportunities for community engagement since 2020. Previously, as Director of Community Engagement at Mount Holyoke College, he taught courses in social action and community leadership, and grew the Community-Based Learning (CBL) Program to involve over 400 students annually in more than 25 community-engaged courses, internships, and independent studies. Before Mount Holyoke, Alan served as Director of Faculty Grants and Government/Community Relations at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Alan has a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy from UMass Amherst, an MPhil in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford (UK), and a B.A. in International Relations from Bucknell University. Alan was a Governor’s appointee to the 2012 Massachusetts Special Commission on Civic Engagement and Learning, and co-founded Leadership Pioneer Valley, a regional community leadership program. He serves on WGBY’s Latino Advisory Board, and as an associate editor for the International Journal of Research on Community Engagement and Service Learning.