Paula McClain, James B. Duke distinguished professor of political science and vice provost for graduate education, will complete her second five-year term as dean of the Graduate School in 2022. She is the first Black dean of a school at Duke.
“Being dean has allowed me to use my passion for graduate education to make a difference in the experience of Duke graduate students, and to take many of the initiatives we developed at Duke to a national audience,” McClain said in a press release announcing her return to a faculty role.
McClain did not immediately respond to a request by The Chronicle for comment.
During her tenure, McClain focused on enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in graduate education and increasing financial and professional development resources for graduate students.
It was under her leadership that the Graduate School extended year-round funding to all graduate students starting in 2022, an initiative led and advocated by the Graduate and Professional Student Council.
McClain’s efforts to expand the Graduate School’s fundraising activities and development team has in part resulted in a 40% increase in the Graduate School’s annual student fellowship support, tripling of summer research fellowships and guaranteed summer research fellowships for doctoral students in their first two years of study.
“Under [McClain’s] excellent leadership, the Graduate School has vastly expanded opportunities and support for our students, while also serving as a valued partner to graduate program leaders throughout the University,” Provost Sally Kornbluth said in a press release.
The Graduate School has also created fellowships to support research on systemic racism and on women or girls of color, incorporated implicit bias training into its Responsible Conduct of Research programming and houses the Duke University Center of Exemplary Mentoring, an initiative to recruit and support underrepresented minority students in doctoral physical sciences and engineering programs.
McClain has also taken a national-level role in her field, serving as president-elect of the American Political Science Association from 2019 to 2020.
A national search for a new dean of the Graduate School will begin within the next few weeks, according to the press release.
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Preetha Ramachandran is a Trinity senior and diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator for The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously senior editor for Volume 117.