Medill Assoc. Prof. Virginia “Ginny” Carroll, who in just eight months at Northwestern came to be beloved by her students and fellow faculty members, was found dead Monday in her Chicago condominium. She was 53.

“This is a terrible, terrible loss,” said David Abrahamson, a Medill associate professor. “In my own mind she was on her way to being one of the real stars of our faculty. She was just an incredible person with incredible potential and incredible desire.”

The Chicago Police Department did not release any details of her death Monday, but in an e-mail to students, Medill Dean Ken Bode said he was told Carroll died of natural causes.

Medill last heard from Carroll on Friday, when she called her students to tell them she would be late for class, but that she would eventually arrive. She never did.

Concerned that something might be wrong with the usually reliable Carroll, four of her students drove to her condominium building in Rogers Park to check on her. After getting no response at the door and not seeing her car on the street, the students assumed she was running errands or had gone out of town.

But when Carroll didn’t arrive to class on Monday, students and Medill officials became concerned, said Richard Roth, a Medill associate dean. Roth called one of Carroll’s neighbors and asked her to check on Carroll. The neighbor alerted the building manager after there was no response at Carroll’s door.

The building manager and the neighbor entered Carroll’s condominium, discovered her body and called police.

Carroll joined the Medill faculty after a distinguished career in both newspaper and magazine. In addition to authoring two books, Carroll was a reporter and editor for The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., and served as the bureau chief in Houston and Detroit for Newsweek magazine.

She left full-time journalism in 1997 to earn her doctorate in journalism, which she accomplished in August 2000. One month later she was hired by Medill.

This quarter Carroll had been teaching graduate students in the Magazine Publishing Project, and she had previously instructed undergraduates in magazine writing and editing.

Her personality, sense of humor and passion for teaching made her a favorite among her students and colleagues in the short time they knew her.

“It’s really a testament to who Ginny was that so many people are so upset today, ” said Janice Castro, a Medill assistant professor. “A lot of people feel they’ve lost a close friend. There are tears in a lot of eyes.”

Medill Assoc. Dean Mary Ann Weston said Carroll was a natural teacher.

“She had so much promise to do wonderful things both in her scholarly work and in her teaching,” Weston said. “She was a terrific teacher. She loved her students. She wanted the very best for them and she gave them everything she could to help them do well.”

The absence of Carroll will be a great loss for the school, said Prof. Abe Peck, chairman of Medill’s magazine program.

“It’s just a blow,” he said. “She was your prototypical Medill teacher – always available, generous with her knowledge, generous with her time. She was teaching, not ordering, allowing students to find their way with her guidance.”

Rachel Davis, a Medill graduate student, was one of the students who went to check on Carroll on Friday evening. She called Carroll inspirational and said she made everyone in her classes better journalists.

“She is just an amazing resource for all of us on an individual level, improving us as writers,” said Davis, who is the publisher of the Magazine Publishing Project.

Shawn Allee, another graduate student who went to check on Carroll, said earning her doctorate in journalism so recently allowed her to relate well with her students.

“She really had an affinity for the graduate students,” she said. “She was quite close to our class in particular because of the nature of the Magazine Publishing Project. She really identified with us in a way that others won’t.”

Medill officials are meeting Tuesday to decide how to honor Carroll, who had no known next-of-kin, Roth said. Medill will hold a memorial service for Carroll once her final wishes are determined, he said.