Meet the Staff

Dean of Mandel Honors College

Dr. Rachel Carnell is Dean of the Mandel Honors College and Mandel Chair in Humanities. She has been a professor in the English Department at Cleveland State since 1994, teaching courses on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature and mentoring many Honors English majors and M.A. students.  Maintaining an active research agenda, Dr. Carnell is the author or editor of five scholarly books on eighteenth-century literary and political history, including Backlash: Libel, Impeachment, and Populism in the Reign of Queen Anne. In recent years, her research has become more interdisciplinary, as evidenced in her most recent book, Stewardship and the Future of the Planet: Promise and Paradox. Dean Carnell received her undergraduate BA in French from Haverford College, where she learned to value a small college environment—an experience that inspired her to lead the Mandel Honors College. Her MA and PhD in English are from Boston University, where she learned to appreciate the advantages of large urban university. When she's not in her office you might find her walking, bird watching, reading, or swimming.

Mandel Continuing Scholars Academic Advisor & Program Coordinator / Success Coach

Diane Elizabeth Kravanya (Liz) is a current Master of Urban Planning and Development (MUPD) student at Cleveland State University, who earned her BA in Political Science at CSU in 2019 as part of the Mandel Continuing Scholars Program.  Liz lives in Cleveland Heights with two cats; Biggie Smalls and Teriyaki. She has a daughter who is an Emergency Room nurse, a son who works in finance, and two grandchildren. Liz is also known as Krazy Lady Kitchen (on Instagram) and looks forward to sharing her baking talents with all of you.  She is a lifelong learner who believes in the power of young people and education. Together we can be the change.

Lead Honors Advisor / Success Coach

Lauren received her B.A. in History from the College of Wooster in 2014 and her M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University in 2018. Prior to joining the Honors College, she worked as an Academic Counselor in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Lauren is originally from Northeast Ohio and is excited to be back at home and working with Scholars students. Outside of work, she enjoys staying active, reading and spending time with her husband and cat.

Honors Advisor and Administrative Assistant / Success Coach