We are delighted to announce that Dr. Wendy Boland has been named dean of graduate studies.

Wendy Boland served as the interim dean of graduate studies for the past year and demonstrated outstanding and collaborative leadership and innovation. Her work comes at a pivotal time for the university, and she is critical to our planning for the fall semester and beyond, serving as cochair of AU’s Task Force on Enrollment and Retention.

As dean of graduate studies, Dr. Boland is responsible for developing targeted and strategic approaches for enrollment and revenue growth, working with the schools and colleges to achieve best practices in graduate education, and advancing AU’s highly regarded graduate programs. In the past year, Dr. Boland has developed a number of graduate enrollment initiatives, including updating graduate academic regulations to ensure more flexibility and equity for graduate students and reconfiguring graduate financial aid to maximize distribution. She also executed a strategy for promoting bachelor’s and master’s enrollments and launched a graduate brand awareness effort.

Prior to assuming the position of interim dean, she served as the associate dean for programs and learning at the Kogod School of Business, where she oversaw Kogod’s academic programs and the services that support students’ development and learning. Her research focuses on decision making and risky consumption with an emphasis on the choices of young consumers, and has been featured in numerous journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research. Dr. Boland, who joined AU in 2008, has a BSBA from Bucknell University, an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, and a PhD in marketing with a minor in cognitive psychology from the University of Arizona.

Please join us in congratulating Wendy and thanking her for her dedication to American University.