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Kate McAnulty
Kate McAnulty

Kate McAnulty, whose leadership roles within graduate education have focused on strategic initiatives supporting graduate student academic success, diversity, professional development and wellness, has been selected as The Graduate School’s associate dean for student affairs. Her first day will be Feb. 1.

McAnulty most recently served as associate dean of graduate studies within the California Institute of Technology. In that role, she provided academic counseling and guidance, responded to crises involving graduate students, coordinated accessibility services and advocated for graduate student needs, among other responsibilities.

Before joining Caltech in 2016, McAnulty had served in several prominent roles within graduate education at Kent State University (2010-2016), including assistant dean and director of graduate student services within Kent State’s Division of Graduate Studies.

Among her accomplishments at Kent State, McAnulty created a professional development program for graduate students and the Complex Conversations video monologue series as a resource for teaching assistants; developed the Graduate Dean’s Award, recognizing student diversity; and expanded the university’s annual Graduate Research Symposium from 40 to 310 presentations.

She was a recipient of Kent State’s President’s Excellence Award for 2013, the Office of the President recognizing “her tireless devotion to improving the graduate student experience and providing a clear respect for the value of student voices.”

Suzanne Barbour, dean of The Graduate School, said she was excited to welcome McAnulty to her new role at UNC-Chapel Hill. “Kate is a visionary and compassionate leader with a strong commitment to graduate students, graduate education and diversity, equity and inclusion. I look forward to leveraging Kate’s deep expertise in graduate student affairs and admissions to optimize our processes to ensure that The Graduate School addresses the needs of all of our graduate students.”

In her role within The Graduate School, McAnulty will collaborate to coordinate awards and campus-wide events promoting graduate student achievement; lead Graduate School initiatives related to recruitment and retention, with special emphasis on students from underrepresented groups; and manage a variety of graduate student support services and student affairs issues.

McAnulty has presented nationally on topics including factors influencing strategic partnerships in minority graduate recruitment, graduate college choice and best practices in implementing university initiatives across academic disciplines.

She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wittenberg University; and her master’s degree in education, specializing in college student personnel, and doctoral degree in counseling and personnel services from the University of Louisville. McAnulty began her professional career at the UofL, serving as an admissions counselor, then assistant director of graduate admissions and recruitment, and then director of graduate professional development and diversity recruitment before joining Kent State.

“I appreciate this opportunity and very much look forward to continuing my work in graduate education by supporting the students at UNC-Chapel Hill,” McAnulty said.

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