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CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Bernadette Gray-Little will be the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, effective March 29. University trustees approved her appointment at their regular meeting March 25 based on the recommendation of University Chancellor James Moeser following an extensive internal search.

"With impressive credentials as a scholar, teacher and university leader, Bernadette Gray-Little has earned the deep respect of her colleagues across the College of Arts and Sciences and the entire campus," said Chancellor Moeser. "She has the experience, wisdom and drive to lead our exceptional liberal arts program to even greater excellence. And as a North Carolina native, she understands the important role that the university plays in serving the people of this state and beyond. We have gained an extraordinary new dean for the College and the university."

Gray-Little has served in numerous leadership positions at Carolina since joining the faculty in 1971.

A professor of psychology, she was named executive associate provost in 2001, serving as the top advisor to the university’s chief academic officer. In that capacity she oversaw a comprehensive study of faculty salary equity, directed searches and reviews of senior academic administrators, helped to develop and implement a new academic plan, and advised the provost on the annual budget planning process and major funding allocation decisions.

She served as the College of Arts and Sciences’ first senior associate dean for undergraduate education from 1999 to 2001. During that time she led the development of innovative programs to enhance intellectual climate, including the now popular and nationally ranked First Year Seminar Program. She was instrumental in expanding academic advising services and providing new opportunities for undergraduates to engage in research with leading faculty.

Gray-Little has also served as chair of the department of psychology (1993-98) and director of the graduate program in clinical psychology (1983-93), and as a faculty affiliate at the Center for Creative Leadership (1998-2003).

A native of Washington, N.C., she received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1970 from St. Louis University, which presented her with the William Stauder Alumni Merit Award in 1997. She graduated from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa., which honored her as a distinguished alumna in 1996.

Her research interests include the association of ethnicity and social status to self-esteem, decision-making strategies in marital relationships, relationship violence, and the influence of demographic characteristics on diagnostic accuracy.

She has earned fellowships from the National Research Council, the Fulbright program, the Ford Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and associate editor of the journal The American Psychologist.

Gray-Little replaces former Dean Risa Palm, who resigned June 30 to become the executive vice chancellor and provost at Louisiana State University. Dr. Richard Soloway, the Eugen Merzbacher distinguished professor of history and former senior associate dean for social sciences, has served as interim dean during the search period.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/gray-little_bernadette.jpg

Press Contact: Dee Reid, College of Arts and Sciences, (919) 843-6339.