Office of Research and Scholarship

Dr. Audrey Cohan, Ed.D.  Senior Dean for Research and Scholarship

Principal Investigator, Noyce Ambassadors Program

Dr. Audrey Cohan began her career as a special education teacher in New York City, teaching students with special needs in both self-contained and resource room settings. Her first book was published in 1995 titled Sexual Harassment and Sexual Abuse: A Handbook for Teachers and Administrators. This co-authored book was an outgrowth of her dissertation work, which focused on child sexual abuse within schools. Her first college position was as an adjunct at Hofstra University, where she taught foundations of education courses for both undergraduate and graduate programs. She has been at Molloy College for 26 years during which time she served as Professor, Chairperson of the Education Department, Interim Dean for the Division of Natural Sciences and is currently the Senior Dean for Research and Scholarship. Dr. Cohan has taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs and is currently teaching Critical Issues at the doctoral level for the Ed.D. Program, Educational Leadership for Diverse Learning Communities. Dr. Cohan co-edited a five-volume Breaking the Mold series about educational innovation with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles about English language learners including Differentiating Between Learning Disabilities and Typical Second Language Acquisition: A Case Study and Piloting a Pre-referral Data Collection Tool: A Documentary Account, as she has New York State certification in special education and TESOL. The textbook published in 2016, Serving English Language Learners earned the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) Most Promising New Textbook Award. Her other book publications include Beyond Core Expectations: A Schoolwide Framework for Serving the Not-So-Common Learner (2014) and America’s Peace-minded Educator: John Dewey (2016). In 2020, Dr. Cohan co-authored Team Up, Speak Up, Fire Up!: Educators, Students, and the Community Working Together to Support English Learners, published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). While at Molloy College, Dr. Cohan has been the recipient of the Faculty Leadership Award, the Faculty Recognition Award, the Research Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Her contribution to the doctoral program will be assisting participants interested in researching special education, English learners, and innovative programs or critical issues related to language.

Joyce Borelli, Program Manager for Research and Scholarship

Joyce Borelli began working at Molloy College over 15 years ago in the Office of Admissions where she quickly became familiar with the university’s diverse operations. Her exceptional skillset continued to grow in the departments of History and Political Science, as well as Philosophy, where she interacted directly with students and faculty. Her robust background experiences helped her develop a much-needed professional skillset that now supports the Office of Research and Scholarship, as she works collaboratively with Senior Dean, Audrey Cohan. In her current role, she also interfaces directly with the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs as well as the Faculty Professional Center and the Office of Blended and Online Learning. Joyce provides continuous and invaluable support for the Noyce Ambassadors Program grant, the Noyce Ambassadors, Principal Investigators (PIs), Co-PIs, and researchers. She also supports Middle States projects, professional development programs, and initiatives within the Office of Research and Scholarship. During her time in the Office of Research and Scholarship, Joyce continued her studies and earned a BS degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and is currently pursuing a MS degree in Leadership and Organizational Development. 

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