Andrew G. Campbell of Brown University to Serve as Chair of CGS Board

Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Board of Directors has announced its officers for the 2021 term. CGS is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors drawn from member institutions. Board members serve set terms.

Dr. Andrew G. Campbell, dean of the Graduate School at Brown University, was announced as the 2021 Board Chair at the conclusion of the 2020 CGS 60^th Anniversary Annual Meeting. Appointed to his role in 2016, Campbell is also professor of medical science in the Division of Biology & Medicine at Brown. He has taught and advised Brown undergraduate and graduate students since his faculty appointment began in 1994. He has received numerous honors, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, American Foundations for AIDS Research Investigator Award, and Brown’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Faculty Governance. He is also a 2020-elected AAAS Fellow. Campbell is PI and Co-PI for two National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and leads the NIH-funded Initiative to Maximize Student Development in Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine, a program to improve recruiting and performance of URM students in doctoral programs.

“Dr. Campbell’s expertise in graduate education and commitment to improved recruiting and performance of underrepresented minority graduate students will be vital as he leads the Council into the next decade. He has provided outstanding leadership during his tenure at Brown University and will help advance CGS’ mission to address the needs of our member institutions, particularly as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega.

The new Chair-elect, Dr. Julie Coonrod serves as the dean of graduate studies at the University of New Mexico. Since Dr. Coonrod became dean in 2013, she has streamlined processes to improve graduate student tracking and completion and expanded funding opportunities. As a professor in Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering; she has continued to teach a graduate-level course that emphasizes the modeling capabilities of geographic information systems to students seeking a variety of graduate degrees. Dean Coonrod is the past president of the Western Association of Graduate Schools (2019-2020).

The Council welcomes five new board members, whose terms will begin on January 1, 2021. Beginning one-year terms are Dr. Jeni Hart, dean and vice provost for graduate studies at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Dr. James Marshall, dean of the division of graduate studies at California State University Fresno. Beginning three-year terms are Dr. April Boulton, dean of The Graduate School at Hood College; Dr. Michael Cunningham, associate vice provost for graduate studies and research at Tulane University; and Dr. Sheryl Tucker, vice provost and dean of the Graduate College at Oklahoma State University.

This year’s outgoing Chair of the Board is Dr. Sally Pratt, former vice provost, graduate programs at the University of Southern California. “We are so fortunate to have had Dr. Pratt’s leadership as CGS Board Chair the past year,” Ortega said. “She has contributed significantly to the success of graduate students at USC and to graduate education more broadly in her efforts to prioritize graduate student mental health and wellbeing.”

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