Eight Women Scholars Appointed to Dean Positions at Colleges and Universities

Jayati Ghosh was appointed dean of the Scott L. Carmona College of Business at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. She has been serving as dean of the School of Business Administration at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ghosh earned master’s degrees from the University of Calcutta in India and Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. She completed her doctorate at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

Phylicia Rashad was appointed dean of the recently reestablished College of Fine Arts at Howard University in Washington, D.C., effective July 1, 2021. An accomplished actor and stage director, Rashad is perhaps best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the long-running television hit “The Cosby Show.” Rashad has served as a guest lecturer and adjunct faculty member, conducting master’s-level classes at many colleges, universities, and arts organizations, including Howard University, New York University, Vassar College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Wayne State University.

Rashad is a graduate of Howard University. She holds honorary doctorates from honorary doctorates, including Howard University, Spelman College, the University of South Carolina at Columbia, Tuskegee University, Brown University, Bennett College, St. Augustine College, Providence College, Barber-Scotia College, Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, Carnegie Mellon University and Fordham University.

Anastasia Morrone, was appointed dean of the Indiana University School of Education in Bloomington. She will be the first woman to hold the position. Dr. Morrone has been serving as interim dean since July 2020. She is a professor of educational psychology and teaches courses in adolescent development and psychology of teaching. Her current research focuses on technology-rich, active-learning environments that promote student motivation and learning.

Professor Morrone is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology at the Unversity of Texas at Austin.

For the first time in 149 years, Cornell University’s faculty has elected a woman, a person of color, and a professor from the College of Human Ecology as dean of faculty. Eve De Rosa, an associate professor of human development, will begin a three-year term on July 1.

Dr. De Rosa earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She then worked as a research assistant at Harvard University’s School of Medicine, where she further developed an interest in research. Dr. De Rosa trained in animal neuroscience and earned a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Harvard in 2000.

Hari M. Osofsky has been appointed dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, effective Aug. 1. She was also named the Myra and James Bradwell Professor. Dr. Osofsky has been serving as dean of Penn State Law and the Penn State School of International Affairs and as a Distinguished Professor of Law, professor of international affairs, and professor of geography at Pennsylvania State University.

Professor Osofsky earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and environmental studies from Yale University. She earned a juris doctorate from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Oregon.

Celia Klin was named dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University, a campus of the State University of New York. She has been serving as interim dean for the past year and has been a psychology faculty member at the university since 1994.

Dr. Klin is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Massachusetts.

Linda Thomas was appointed dean of the Graduate School at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, effective June 1. She has been serving as dean of the School of Integrated Sciences at the university since 2018.

Dr. Thomas holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida. She holds a law degree from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Honora Chapman has been named dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, the largest academic unit at Fresno State University in California. Dr. Chapman has been leading the college as interim dean since July 2019. She previously served as associate dean for more than three years. Dr. Chapman joined the Fresno State faculty in 2002 as an assistant professor of classics and humanities.

Dr. Chapman received her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in classics at Stanford University.