Tulane University President Mike Fitts announced that Lee Skinner will become the new dean of Newcomb Tulane College, effective July 1, 2019. Skinner currently serves as a Spanish professor and associate dean of faculty at Claremont McKenna College and will be joining the faculty of Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane in addition to the dean position.  

Skinner held her former position at Claremont McKenna since 2013, with a concentration on curriculum and general academic oversight. She oversees freshman humanities seminars, organizes freshmen in regard to academic advisors, faculty advisors, creates workshops and design materials for faculty academic advisors, is a chair of the Curriculum Committee and serves on the Academic Standards Committee.

Additionally, Skinner works with other Claremont Colleges on issues of diversity and inclusivity while also serving on the five Colleges Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow Steering Committee, providing support for second-year students of underrepresented groups who plan on earning Ph.D.s.

Fitts extended his congratulations and praise to Skinner in an email sent out to the Tulane community announcing her appointment on April 2.

“Lee is widely respected and admired throughout the Claremont system as an extremely effective, enthusiastic, collaborative leader,” he said in the email. “In the role of associate dean, Lee has been an impactful administrator and an unwavering advocate for undergraduate students and for the quality of their educational experience.”

Skinner earned her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Spanish from Emory University. She first served on the faculty of University of Kansas where she received tenure and an award for excellence in teaching before being recruited to work at Claremont McKenna in 2008. Skinner has also authored two monographs, according to Fitts.

Skinner said her current activities and past experiences have prepared her well for her new position as the dean of NTC, and she is excited to take on the new role.

“I’m most excited to have the opportunity to be deeply involved in the key aspects of undergraduate education,” she said. “The unique structure of the college and its relation to the different schools offers students many opportunities to learn, grow and do, and I’m looking forward to developing systems that help students take full advantage of the many resources and programs that make the Tulane undergraduate experience special.”

Skinner is waiting to settle in before implementing any new policies or plans in regards to NTC and commends the college’s efforts thus far at creating effective and efficient programs. She is looking forwards to meeting faculty, staff and students and hopes to get input from them on the college and how it can improve, she said.

“My primary goal is to ensure that Tulane provides a truly transformative and exceptional educational experience for its students,” she said. “As Tulane, its faculty and students, and the world around us change over time, NTC must also continually evolve.”