Avis Hinkson, who earned a Doctor of Education degree at Penn’s Graduate School of Education in 2004, was appointed dean of Barnard College on Tuesday.
Hinkson earned her undergraduate degree at Barnard. Most recently, she served as director of Undergraduate Advising at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been involved in higher education for roughly 30 years.
Hinkson graduated from the two-year Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program at GSE.
She will “hit the ground running” at Barnard, EDHM Director Blake Naughton said.
“Her background demonstrates success in leading areas such as undergraduate advising, but the [GSE] program prepared her to be a strong and strategic leader in broader areas, as her new position will require,” he added.
Hinkson wrote her dissertation about leadership development of African-American graduates at Barnard, with suggested improvements she may now be able to implement.
“[Hinkson’s] career has been defined by her commitment to helping students succeed academically and to achieve their potential,” Matt Hartley, chairman of the Higher Education division at GSE, wrote in an e-mail. “It’s especially wonderful that she will be taking on this important role at her alma mater.”
