The Graduate College is pleased to announce that Alicia Ebert, Ph.D., joined the Graduate College as Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs on May 16, 2023.

Professor Ebert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and previously served as Director of the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program. She received a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wyoming in 2002, followed by a Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 2008 (Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences Program). After completing her doctoral degree, Professor Ebert moved to Alberta, Canada to pursue a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Neuroscience at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary. Then, in 2012, she joined the University of Vermont faculty in the Department of Biology where her research focuses on cell signaling pathways that regulate development of the nervous system using zebrafish as a model organism.

Professor Ebert’s substantial experience with interdisciplinary programs, curriculum development and assessment, General Education requirements, degree Assessment Plans, creation of new majors/concentrations, and student progress tracking/retention make her well-suited for this new position. The experiences and insights gained from her service on the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Curriculum Committee and Neuroscience Graduate Program Steering Committee will be invaluable in this new role.

The Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs is a key position that will allow the Graduate College to expand efforts a variety of areas, including graduate student progression and retention; new online and in-person graduate programs; graduate program curriculum and policies; co-curricular programming; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). This position will be an important resource for graduate program directors and will allow the expansion and addition of programs to better serve graduate students, such as a university-wide graduate student orientation and more extensive programs for professional development and wellness.

The Graduate College and Professor Ebert have outlined ambitious goals for the near and distant future and anticipate that this position will have an immediate impact in several areas