News 2023: Inaugural Dean of the Honors College appointed

News 2023: Inaugural Dean of the Honors College appointed
Inaugural Dean of the Honors College appointed

Amy Shapiro selected as Dean after serving as Director of the Honors College since September 2021

Amy Shapiro Headshot
Dean Amy Shapiro

Today, UMass Dartmouth Provost Hanchen Huang announced that Dr. Amy Shapiro has been appointed the inaugural Dean of the Honors College. In this role, she will lead the development and implementation of the College's strategic plan, which includes efforts to grow enrollment, increase faculty participation across colleges, and provide more opportunities for our honors students to engage in research, scholarship, and creative activities.

Amy joined the UMass Dartmouth community in 1994 as an assistant professor of psychology, and she currently holds the rank of professor. An accomplished teacher and scholar, Amy also brings extensive administrative experience to this role, having served as Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for six years and as Interim Dean from July 2017 to August 2018.

As the Director of the Honors College since September 2021, Amy has worked collaboratively with my Office and the Faculty Senate to expand the management structure of the Honors Program to create a more robust College model. She has revised the Honors core curriculum courses and requirements while offering new courses relevant to student academic plans and created training opportunities for Honors faculty in partnership with the Office of Faculty Development. Amy also has worked tirelessly to increase multicultural programming in the Honors College, creating a DEI committee to enhance the focus on issues of diversity and inclusion. She developed the “Honor Yourself” campaign to improve student retention and has brought a strong focus on assessment to create a climate of continuous improvement in the College. Finally, Amy has partnered with Admissions and Marketing & Communications to revitalize the Honors College’s recruitment presentations and marketing materials, including a new Honors Breakfast at Admitted Student Day events.

"I remain grateful to our Search and Screen Committee which included and faculty and staff from across campus, as well as student leaders," said Huang. "Please join me in congratulating Amy on this recognition of her extraordinary leadership, dedicated service to UMass Dartmouth, and student-centered approach."

Learn more about Dean Shapiro.