June Chu, an assistant dean of undergraduate students at Dartmouth College, will serve as the new Pierson College Dean in the coming academic year, Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway announced in the college dining hall Friday evening.
Chu, who has taught in the Asian American Studies Program and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, also has extensive administrative experience at several institutions. Head of Pierson College Stephen Davis praised Chu for her commitment to inclusivity and her ability to communicate effectively. Chu will replace long-serving Dean Amerigo Fabbri.
“I am so honored to have been selected to join Pierson College,” Chu said. “While I am a different person from Dean Fabbri, from what I have heard about him, I have big shoes to fill.”
At Dartmouth College, Chu has served as a liaison to a wide range of constituencies, such as the First Year College Writing Program, the Athletics Program, the crisis management team and the Title IX Coordinator. During her time at UPenn, she also served as the Director of Pan Asian American Community House. Holloway said, in these various roles, Chu has helped students not only succeed academically, but also to expand their “understanding of themselves within and beyond their campus environment.”
Besides her role as an educator and administrator, Chu has also conducted extensive research on best practices for advising in higher education as well as on the family, cultural and psychological dimensions of the experiences of Asian American and Asian adolescents. During the announcement, Holloway said Chu was the “very best person” in the final list of candidates to fulfill the role of the college deanship and added that Chu will combine her “enthusiasm for academic administration and her love of teaching” in her new position.
J.T. Flowers ’17, a member on the Pierson deanship search committee, said Chu was the most “down-to-earth” candidate and said all the students on the committee felt the most comfortable communicating with her.
Flowers added that Chu has been very attentive to the Yale’s campus debates this past year.
“We had a few questions about the campus climate and her responses were incredibly thoughtful and balanced,” Flowers said.
Chu will replace Fabbri, who has served as dean for eleven years. Davis thanked Fabbri for his contributions to the college and praised him for his loyalty, honesty and commitment.