Following an extensive national search for the next Dean of the Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences (BCAS) that commenced in January, I am pleased to announce that Dorie J. Gilbert has accepted the position. She will begin on August 1, 2020.
The Search Committee examined over 70 applications, interviewed and recommended a select list of candidates for the president and me to consider. The president and I interviewed three excellent candidates. Following those interviews, we again surveyed the PV landscape to see whether any current faculty or administrators could rise to the challenge of serving in this capacity. Dr. Gilbert immediately came to mind given her leadership over graduate studies since joining the PV family. She will continue to oversee Graduate Studies through the Fall semester.
As dean of Graduate Studies, Gilbert has had direct oversight of the University’s 35 graduate programs. Over the past year, she introduced a number of initiatives to position PVAMU’ s graduate programs for future growth and advancement, beginning with re-establishing the management of the graduate admissions process in the Office of Graduate Studies. She spearheaded the onboarding of Business Centralized Application Service (BusinessCAS™), an innovative graduate admissions platform for PVAMU’s Executive MBA program. She vigorously championed a multi-faceted approach to graduate recruitment through building partnerships and optimizing relationships with regional HBCUs.
One of her highest priorities has been expanding the number and scope of graduate program offerings, and she recently leveraged her expertise to shepherd through a Master of Social Work program proposal, which is currently at the Board of Regents for review. Gilbert’s passion for student-centered programming is demonstrated through launching a much-needed Graduate Student Organization. She has also intensified efforts to promote rigorous graduate student scholarship by initiating a series of scholarly writing workshops, sponsoring research methods training for graduate students, revising the protocol for thesis and dissertation work, and piloting a triple-article dissertation format.
Dr. Gilbert brings to her role 24 years of higher education teaching, research and administrative experience. Before coming to PV, she was professor and director of the Master of Social Work program at The Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University (NSU). Prior to NSU, she taught in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin for 20 years, where her campus-wide impact earned her numerous accolades, including a 2013 Professor of Excellence award and a 2015 nomination to the UT-Austin Academy of Distinguished Professors. Gilbert’s authored and co-authored scholarly work has been disseminated in over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and national or international conference papers. As a P.I. or co-P.I., she received over $1.3 million in funding from agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health, University of Texas System, U.S. State Department, Council on Social Work Education, and Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services.
She has chaired or served on over 50 dissertation committees and graduate thesis projects across multiple disciplines. In recognition of her scholarly contributions, in 2019, Gilbert was one of just four social work disciplinarians nationally to be selected by the Council on Social Work Education for the Higher Education Resources Service (HERS) Leadership Institute which trains emerging female leaders in higher education. Gilbert’s prior experience, vision for the College of Arts and Sciences, and strong record of strategic planning will build upon the College’s reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and distinction in research and creative activities.
A native Texan, Gilbert received her B.B.A. in Engineering Management, and M.S.S.W. and Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Danny R. Kelley, who has served as Dean of the Brailsford College of Arts & Sciences (BCAS) since 2004, will assist with the transition in leadership through August. He will move into his new role as Endowed Professor of Fine Arts on August 1, 2020, and he will spearhead the university’s efforts to enhance the fine and performing arts.
Join me in welcoming Dorie to her new position and thanking Danny for his extraordinary contributions to the BCAS over the years.
James M. Palmer
Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs