New Dean of Health and Human Sciences
To: Executive Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Vice Presidents, Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts, Deans, Directors, and Heads of Schools, Divisions, Departments and Offices
From: Jay Akridge
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Diversity
RE: New Dean of Health and Human Sciences
Date: April 20, 2018
I am pleased to inform you that Marion K. Underwood, dean of graduate studies and associate provost at the University of Texas at Dallas, has accepted our offer and will become dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue, effective August 1.
Marion is an Association of Psychological Sciences Fellow who brings an impressive record of academic leadership experience to her new position. She began her professional career in 1991 as an assistant professor of psychology at Reed College in Portland where she earned tenure before moving to the University of Texas at Dallas in 1998. She was associate dean of programs and administration in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences from 2013-15 before becoming dean of graduate studies and associate provost. She is also the Ashbel Smith Professor of Psychological Sciences at UT-Dallas.
Marion’s research focuses on adolescents’ social relationships, developmental origins and outcomes of social aggression and how adolescents’ engagement with text messaging and social media influences their relationships and adjustment. Her work has been published in numerous scientific journals and her research program has been supported by the National Institutes of Health since 1995.
I want to thank all of the members of the search advisory committee, chaired by David Hummels, Purdue’s dean of the Krannert School of Management, for an outstanding job conducting the national search for this important position. I also want to thank Christine Ladisch, who has brilliantly served as inaugural dean for the College of Health and Human Sciences since its launch in 2010.
Please join me in thanking Dean Ladisch, Dean Hummels and the entire search advisory committee. I know you will also join me in welcoming Dean Marion Underwood to the Boilermaker family!