Nine Women Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Dean Positions

Suzanne Burke Lehman has been elevated to permanent dean of the School of Nursing at St. Catherine University in Minnesota after serving as interim dean for the past year. She currently serves as an associate professor and assistant dean of undergraduate nursing.

Dr. Lehman is a three-time graduate of St. Catherine University where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing education, and doctor of nursing practice degree.

Melinda Cro has been named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University. She currently serves as a professor of modern languages and assistant dean of student success, engagement, and undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University.

Dr. Cro is a graduate of King University in Bristol, Tennessee where she double-majored in French and theater. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in romance languages from the University of Georgia.

Heather Duncan has been promoted to dean of the Bilirakis College of Education at St. Petersburg College in Florida. She currently serves as the college’s associate dean. Prior to joining St. Petersburg College in 2022, she spent over seven years on the faculty at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Duncan received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in special education from the University of Florida. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Florida.

Toni Alexander has been appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. She currently serves as a professor of geography and chair of the department of history and anthropology at Southeast Missouri State University. Earlier in her career, she held faculty appointments at Auburn University in Alabama and Kansas State University.

Dr. Alexander is a summa cum laude graduate of California State University, Stanislaus where she majored in geography with a minor in German. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in geography from Louisiana State University.

Jill V. Hamm has been selected to serve as interim dean of the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She first joined the university’s faculty in 1999 and currently holds the title of William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education. She also serves as the inaugural associate dean for research and faculty development in the School of Education.

Dr. Hamm received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin.

Rebecca Cypess has been named dean of Yeshiva College and Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University in New York. She currently serves as associate dean for academic affairs in the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She has authored numerous publications including Women and Musical Salons in the Enlightenment (University of Chicago Press, 2022) and Curious and Modern Inventions: Instrumental Music as Discovery in Galileo’s Italy (University of Chicago Press, 2016).

Dr. Cypress holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Cornell University, a master of music degree in harpsichord from the Royal College of Music in London, and a master’s degree in Jewish studies from Yeshiva University. She received two master’s degree and a Ph.D. in music history from Yale University.

Heidi E. Cox Banse has been appointed dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Arkansas State University. She currently serves as associate dean for education strategy in the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State University where she has taught for the past seven years.

Dr. Banse received her bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine and doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Washington State University. She holds a Ph.D. in veterinary biomedical sciences from Oklahoma State University.

Lara Lomicka Anderson has been promoted to vice provost for undergraduate studies and dean of undergraduate education at the University of South Carolina. She has held the position on an interim basis for the past 10 months. She currently serves as the Chapman Alcorn Memorial Professor of Foreign Languages.

Dr. Anderson is a graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania where she studied French and international business. She holds a master’s degree in French literature from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a Ph.D. in French from Pennsylvania State University.

Vicki Colvin has been appointed dean of the College of Engineering at Louisiana State University. She comes to her new position from Brown University, where she currently serves as the Veron Krieble Professor of Chemistry and Engineering and director of biomedical engineering. She also founded Brown University’s Institute for Biology, Engineering and Medicine.

Dr. Colvin is a graduate of Stanford University in California where she double-majored in chemistry and physics. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.