Dwight McBride Named Dean of The Graduate School

It is with great pleasure that President Schapiro and I announce that Dwight A. McBride is returning to Northwestern University as Dean of The Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education. Dwight was the chair of our Department of African American Studies for five years and the Leon Forrest Professor before leaving to become Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago three years ago. Under Dwight's leadership at Northwestern, we developed one of the strongest departments and the seventh doctoral program in African American Studies in the country.

Dwight's term as Dean of The Graduate School will begin November 1, 2010.  During September and October, Simon Greenwold, Senior Associate Dean of The Graduate School, has graciously agreed to serve as Interim Dean. Simon has served in a leadership role in The Graduate School under Dean Andrew Wachtel, and we look forward to working closely with Simon during the transition period and beyond.

A scholar of literature and culture, Dwight received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University and his doctorate at UCLA and has held faculty positions at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northwestern. His scholarly work has resulted in numerous books, articles, and awards.

As Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dwight has gained considerable experience working to enhance student and faculty opportunities in a broad spectrum of academic fields, and we are delighted that he will bring his considerable energy, insights, and talents to bear on graduate education across the University at Northwestern.

Please join me in congratulating Dwight and welcoming him back to Northwestern, and in thanking the search committee, chaired by Professor Ajit Tamhane of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Simon for his service as Interim Dean.

Daniel Linzer
Provost