Michele A. Rasmussen, Dean of the Undergraduate College at Bryn Mawr College, has been appointed Dean of Students in the University after a national search. Her appointment is effective July 8.
Reporting to Karen Warren Coleman, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, Rasmussen will work with senior leaders across the University to advance UChicago’s innovative vision for campus and student life. She will work closely with deans of students in each of the University’s divisions and schools, and oversee a dozen major programs and services within Campus and Student Life.
“The University is deeply committed to provide the very best student experience possible, one that is fully integrated into a community of faculty, staff, alumni and neighbors,” said Coleman. “Michele, a scholar and an established campus leader, has the experience and expertise to help promote intellectual and personal growth across our community. We are delighted that she will be joining us.”
"The University of Chicago is a great institution, and I am delighted to be joining Vice President Karen Warren Coleman’s team at such an exciting and dynamic time for campus and student life,” Rasmussen noted. “I am so impressed with the commitment and creativity of my new colleagues, and I particularly look forward to supporting the work of the area deans of students."
As a member of the Bryn Mawr President’s cabinet and strategic planning group, Rasmussen has led numerous campus offices and guided initiatives to expand student services, foster campus collaborations, bolster support for international students, and improve the college’s crisis management system. She also teaches courses in anthropology.
Prior to Bryn Mawr, Rasmussen directed academic advising and served as an academic dean at Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, facilitating closer ties among academic deans and student support staff. She previously held other student life and academic roles at Duke and at Wesleyan University.
Rasmussen has authored a number of scholarly papers and presented her work at national and regional conferences. She is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Rasmussen earned her bachelor’s degree in History & Art History from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her PhD in Biological Anthropology & Anatomy from Duke University.
As Dean of Students in the University, Rasmussen will oversee the following programs and services: Student Health and Counseling Services; the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities; University Community Service Center; College Programming Office (primary report to the College); Office of Multicultural Student Affairs; Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student Life; Office of International Affairs; the coordination of Student Discipline; Title IX coordination and response; Student Disability Services; Student Emergency Response Systems; and Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention. She will manage a staff of about 90.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
