Six Universities Appoint Women Scholars to Positions as Deans

Bridget Terry Long will be the next dean of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. She currently serves as the Saris Professor of Education and Economics at the school. Dr. Long joined the faculty at the school in 2000 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 2009.  She served as academic dean from 2013 to 2017.

Dr. Long is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Constance Relihan was appointed dean of University College at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She has been serving as associate provost for undergraduate studies at Auburn University in Alabama. She has served on the Auburn faculty since 1990 and currently is a professor of English.

Professor Relihan is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Piyushimita Thakuriah was named dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at the main campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She will begin her new duties on October 1. Currently. Dr. Thakuriah is a professor of urban studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Earlier, she taught at the University of Illinois.

Professor Thakuriah holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in industrial psychology from the University of Delhi in India. She earned a master’s degree in urban planning and a Ph.D. in public policy analysis from the University of Illinois.

Edith Parker was appointed dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, effective June 1. She is a professor and chair of the department of community and behavioral health at the university. She joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 2010 after teaching for 15 years at the University of Michigan.

Professor Parker is a graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina. She holds a master of public health degree and a doctorate in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kathryn Graddy will be the next dean of the International Business School at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Dr. Graddy joined the faculty at the university in 2007 and in 2016 was named the Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Professor in Economics. She has also been serving as senior associate dean at the International Business School.

Professor Graddy is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, where she double majored in mathematics and Russian. She holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York City, and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in New Jersey.

Pauline Sampson was appointed dean of research and graduate studies at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacagdoches, Texas. She has been serving as a professor of secondary education and educational leadership in the College of Education at the university.

Dr. Sampson holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a Ph.D in educational administration from Iowa State University. She also earned a master’s degree in special education at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.