Bryn Mawr College Names Janet Shapiro Dean of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research
The appointment was recommended by a search committee, which brought together representatives of the faculty, students, staff, and Board of Advisors to consider qualifications of internal candidates and leaders of graduate schools of social work across the country.
"The role of Dean is crucial as we continue the scholarship and community engagement of GSSWSR, a professional school with a 100-year history of academic rigor." says President Cassidy in this letter to the community. "The School leads our campus as a whole in a commitment to social justice and connects Bryn Mawr in meaningful ways to the larger community. I look forward to Janet’s leadership as we work with our faculty, students, staff, and the community to continue to develop cutting-edge research, educate students, and provide opportunities to support our society as a whole."
Over the past 20 years at Bryn Mawr, Shapiro has held roles as the director of the Doctoral Program at GSSWSR, faculty director of Academic Affairs, coordinator of the Clinical Social Work Concentration, and director of the Center for Child and Family Wellbeing. Beyond her work at GSSWSR, she has served as a member of the Graduate Council, the Steering Committees for the Child and Family Studies minor, the Ad-hoc Committee on the development of AB/MSS programming, and the Committee on Academic Priorities.
"In her scholarship, leadership, and teaching," says President Cassidy, "Janet has been a wise and constructive advisor to students and colleagues, a collaborative and strategic thinker, and a careful listener who builds partnerships while leading change. Her ability to represent the interests of GSSWSR while acting on behalf of the entire institution has consistently strengthened both the School and the College."
Dean Darlyne Bailey will continue as dean in the coming academic year. Shapiro will assume the role in July 2017.