Daniel Shannon appointed to fourth term as Graham School dean

Daniel Shannon, now completing his 15th year as Dean of the William B. and Catherine V. Graham School of General Studies, has been reappointed to a fourth term.

“We are delighted Dan has agreed to serve another term as Dean,” said Provost Thomas F. Rosenbaum. “The faculty review process confirmed that Dan’s dedication to continuing studies, ability to establish connections with divisional and professional school faculty, and tireless pursuit of new programs at home and abroad made reappointment the right decision for the Graham School and the University.”

The Graham School extends the University’s intellectual mission to a broad community of students who seek professional skills or personal development via part-time and flexible programs of study.

Graham fosters the University’s rigorous approach to learning and scholarship in the form of graduate degrees, certificate programs, and open courses in the humanities, arts, and sciences. It provides visiting high school and college students with opportunities to study at the University through the Summer Session administered by the school.

The Graham School’s international footprint has grown in size and diversity, spanning administrative training for Chinese government officials to clinical trials training for Spanish pharmacy undergraduates.

“I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to continue to build on the foundation my colleagues and I have constructed over the past 15 years,” Shannon said. “The challenges associated with an expanding international footprint, the exploration of technology to extend our programs both domestically and internationally, and the needs for new, innovative degree and non-degree programs are energizing.”   

Prior to taking the helm of the Graham School in 1996, Shannon served as dean of continuing education and professor of government and public administration at both the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and California State University-Dominguez Hills, Carson, Calif.

Shannon is a former national president of the University Continuing Education Association, and in 1997 won its prestigious Julius M. Knolte Award for extraordinary contributions to continuing education. He also has written widely on the subject and served as the editor of The Continuing Higher Education Review.  Prior to joining the University, Shannon was named a Kellogg Fellow at the University of Oxford.