Office of the Provost

OU names Elaine K. Carey dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

icon of a calendarApril 7, 2021

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OU names Elaine K. Carey dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Elaine Carey

Elaine Carey

Elaine K. Carey will start her role as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences on June 30, 2021.

Following a national search, Oakland University has selected Elaine K. Carey, Ph.D., as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She will begin her role on June 30, 2021. 

Dr. Carey currently serves as founding dean of the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Science at Purdue University Northwest, where she has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility since 2017.

In her current position, she has focused on a myriad of administrative responsibilities, including strategic planning, fundraising, institutional assessment, faculty development, and facilities planning and management. In the area of curriculum development, she oversaw the creation of a doctoral degree in history, combined BA (History)-MBA and BA (History)-MLIS degrees, bachelor’s programs in criminal justice, and general education reform at two universities.  She is also co-founder of the university’s Center for Crime, Forensics, and Security Analysis, and re-established its Institute for Social and Policy Research.

“Dr. Carey’s outstanding research career and track record of academic leadership will advance the CAS as we move forward to support OU’s four strategic pillars,” said Britt Rios-Ellis, OU’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Her cultural and linguistic strengths, quest for social justice, and work to ensure that the underrepresented have voice in contemporary quests for equity align well with CAS’ past and future trajectory.” 

Dr. Carey’s previous work includes roles as chair of the Department of History at St. John’s University in Queens, New York; vice president for the Teaching Division of the American Historical Association; co-founder and coordinator of the Joint Faculty Research Colloquium in the Social Sciences and Humanities; director of the James Guadalupe Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive in Detroit; and managing editor of the New Mexico Historical Review at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

She holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of New Mexico, as well as a master of arts with distinction in history and a bachelor of arts in international affairs from Florida State University. She has held teaching positions at St. John’s University, the University of Detroit Mercy, and the University of New Mexico. Dr. Carey has held research affiliations at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Universidad Iberoamericana, El Colegio de México and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

In addition to her work within the academic institutions she has been part of, she has maintained active roles in numerous professional organizations, including lifetime memberships with the American Historical Association, Latin American Studies Association, Congress on Latin American History, and Fulbright Association.

Throughout her distinguished career in academia, Dr. Carey has been awarded more than 30 grants and fellowships, has authored five books, 20 scholarly articles (with four more forthcoming), and nearly 50 other publications. She has presented scholarly work at more than 90 professional conferences and meetings.

Dr. Carey succeeds retiring CAS Dean and Chief Community Engagement Officer Kevin Corcoran, whom Rios-Ellis thanked for his tireless contributions to OU and surrounding communities.

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