Virginia McLaughlin, former dean of the School of Education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, passed away on October 15. She was 76 years old.
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from William & Mary in 1971, Dr. McLaughlin went on to receive her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and her doctorate from the University of Memphis in Tennessee. She began her career as a special education teacher in Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina. Following stints on the faculties of Clemson University in South Carolina and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Dr. McLaughlin returned to her undergraduate alma mater in 1983.
Dr. McLaughlin served in several leadership roles throughout her nearly four-decades-long tenure at William & Mary. She served as chief of staff to President Tim Sullivan and led the School of Education from 1995 to 2013. Her scholarship centered on special education, collaborative services, and education policy. Dr. McLaughlin retired in 2021 as the Chancellor Professor of Special Education.
Outside of her work at William & Mary, Dr. McLaughlin was involved with higher education initiatives in Virginia and at the national level. She served on the Virginia Board of Education and was a board member for the Virginia Network for Women in Higher Education. Dr. McLaughlin also served as president of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions.