Dr. Jane Kestner

    Dr. Jane Kestner, Associate Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences at Youngstown State University, is in her fourth year as the Athletic Department’s NCAA Faculty Representative.
    Dr. Kestner, who’s son Kyle was a YSU tennis student-athlete from 1998-2002, serves as the Penguins’ Faculty Representative for both the Gateway Football Conference and the Horizon League.
    As the FAR, she played a key part in the department’s NCAA Division I Certification process which concluded with full certification in April. As part of the 18-month, campus-wide review of the athletic department, Kestner served on two of the four certification committees. She chaired the Academic Integrity Subcommittee while serving as one of the members for the overall Steering Committee.
    Kestner has been a long-time professor at YSU, coming to the Mahoning Valley in 1978 as a member of the Department of Psychology. During her tenure, she has earned numerous awards, including the Distinguished Professor Award for teaching in 1996, and has served on various selection and campus-issue committees.
    On campus, she has served on the Development Committee, the Professional Conduct Committee, the United Way Steering Committee and as a liaison to the School of Education.
    In April 2003, Kestner was part of the search committee that selected Tisha Hill as YSU’s women’s basketball coach.
    Kestner has worked for the United Way Task Force on Nurturing Children and is a past-President of the Board of Directors for Help Hotline, Inc. She also recently co-authored a book, General Psychology, a textbook published by Kendall-Hunt.
    In 2002, she was appointed to her current position of Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis and Council of Colleges of Arts & Sciences.
    A graduate of Ball State University with a degree in psychology, she earned her Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in developmental and cognitive psychology.