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Press Release announcing next President of Bank Street College of Education >>
Message from Sue Kaplan, Chair, Bank Street Board of Trustees
 Dear Members of the Bank Street Community:
I am delighted to report that the Search Committee has unanimously recommended and the Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Elizabeth Dunbar Dickey as the next president of the Bank Street College of Education.
Currently a University Professor at the New School, Elizabeth previously served as the Provost of the University, overseeing the academic affairs of eight academic divisions spread across six schools with 1,850 faculty members and a $165 million budget. There she gained a strong reputation as a passionate advocate for faculty development, innovation, and experimentation.
The New School, which was established during the same progressive era as the Bureau of Educational Experiments, shares many of our values. In her leadership roles, first as Dean, then as a member of the Office of the President during a three-year presidential transition, and then as Provost, Elizabeth found ways for the institution to maintain its values while responding to contemporary needs and challenges. She understands the complexities and opportunities of leading a mission-driven, multi-faceted institution where aspirations often exceed resources. Indeed, one of Elizabeth's strengths as a leader has been in creating a compelling vision that attracts philanthropic support from new arenas.
Professor Dickey began her career as a scholar of adult learning and development. But her understanding of and passion for building environments to nurture lifelong learning soon drew her to academic administration, first at Antioch University, a progressive institution grounded in the teaching of John Dewey and centered in experiential learning. Over a decade, she held successive roles, eventually serving as the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, overseeing academic operations at twenty locations across the US. Despite fiscal challenges at Antioch, Elizabeth was able to lead a series of improvements in academic programs, planning, evaluation, and research.
Elizabeth then served as the University Dean for Academic Planning and Evaluation for the City University of New York, where she developed the master plan for the system's four- and two-year institutions, served as a liaison for accreditation and reporting agencies, and secured external support to initiate and sustain academic innovation and improvement.
Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree from Lake Forest College in Art History and her doctorate from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Psychiatry Department at Yale. In their meetings with Elizabeth, the members of the Search Committee found themselves continually impressed by her intellect, her curiosity, her proven skills as an institution builder, and her passion for teachers and learners of all ages.
There are many people to thank for participating in this challenging and exhilarating process. Thank you to the many faculty and staff, trustees, students, and parents who provided careful and thoughtful input throughout the search, from defining the qualities we sought in our future leader to spending time with the candidates who recently visited campus.
I also want to thank the members of the Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Trustee and Chair-elect Tony Asnes, for their efforts on behalf of an institution that we all hold dear - and for which we all work so hard.
Sue Kaplan
Chair, Bank Street College Board of Trustees
March 17, 2008
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