Dear students,
I am delighted to share the outcome of our national search to identify Duke’s next Dean of Students and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs. Dr. John Blackshear will begin in this role August 1st, retaining his position as Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education.
Many of you already know Dr. Blackshear, who is a highly regarded member of the Duke community. Currently Dean of Academic Affairs for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dean Blackshear teaches Forensic Psychology as an adjunct instructor in Psychology and Neuroscience, and lives with his family in Trinity Residence Hall as a Faculty-in-Residence.
Prior to his current role, Dean Blackshear was Senior Associate Dean of Academic Planning in Trinity and Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education. Since 2001, he has served a wide range of essential support roles for students at Duke, including academic dean, supervising Duke’s low-income and first-generation scholarship and success programs, serving as clinical director of the Academic Resource Center, and working with Duke’s Office of Student Returns and Student Disabilities Access Office. He was Duke’s Student Ombudsperson from 2007-2015. Dean Blackshear also previously worked in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) from 2001-2007.
A clinical psychologist by training, Dean Blackshear holds his doctorate in clinical psychology from Georgia State University, and a masters in community/clinical psychology as well as a B.S. in psychology from Florida A&M University. Dean Blackshear has served as an adjunct instructor in Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke since 2009, and will continue teaching.
Dean Blackshear will also continue to serve as the Faculty-in-Residence in Trinity Residence Hall. The Blackshear family—including wife Kimberly Blackshear, assistant director of programs for Family Connects International in the Sanford School of Public Policy’s Center for Child and Family Policy, and their six children—have opened their home to first-year students in Trinity and Giles residence halls since 2016.
Dean of Trinity College Valerie Ashby has begun the process of identifying the next Dean of Academic Affairs for Trinity, and I am extraordinarily grateful to her for her continued partnership. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Trinity team.
In his new role, Dean Blackshear will continue to hold the post of Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education. He will play a crucial role coordinating shared priorities between Student Affairs, the University’s academic deans, and the Office of Undergraduate Education.
As you know, the Dean of Students is a critical and highly visible member of the Student Affairs senior leadership team, providing overall vision to support the ability of all Duke students to learn and thrive in the campus community. The Dean of Students also provides essential support of populations including incoming students, student veterans, graduate and professional students, and parents and families. In addition to serving on the senior leadership team for Student Affairs, Dean Blackshear will oversee planning, strategic direction, and management of areas supporting student health, wellness, and well-being, as well as Duke’s Community Standard, student conduct processes, and crisis response coordination, and will serve as an essential leader in shaping how the entire Dean of Students Office and the division of Student Affairs encourage student growth and provide support for all Duke students.
The Dean of Students Search Committee has done excellent work. I'm grateful to Kristen Brown, AY Bryant, Li-Chen Chin, Sarah Gaither, Nina King, Shrey Majmudar ‘22, Liv McKinney ‘20, Ysanne Spence ‘22, Don Taylor, Anthony Viera, and Chair Gary Bennett. I'm especially grateful to Sloan Talbot '19 for her extensive help and support of the Dean of Students search process.
Dean Amy Powell will continue to serve as Interim Dean of Students until Dean Blackshear begins in his new role. Dean Powell has been doing an amazing job over these past weeks, and I'm deeply grateful to her for taking on supervision and providing terrific support for the DoS team. Dean Powell has also stepped in to serve on most committees on which the Dean of Students sits. My sincere thanks and appreciation to Dean Powell for her continued efforts.
You will also no doubt have noticed these past few recent weeks that Sue Wasiolek has been diving headfirst into her new role as Senior Advisor/Associate Vice President. I am so appreciative of all that Amy and Sue have taken on in recent weeks, as well as the entire Dean of Students Office for their continued flexibility and shared effort during this time of transition.
We look forward to welcoming Dean Blackshear to the Dean of Students and Student Affairs teams in August!
