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������ Senior Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., announced the selection of Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D., to serve as the university’s associate provost for academic affairs and dean of the Division of Graduate Studies, effective April 16. Van Dulmen has been serving as interim associate provost for academic affairs since 2019 and interim dean of the Division of Graduate Studies since 2020. 

As associate provost for academic affairs, van Dulmen will provide strategic leadership over all areas of academic curriculum, policies and procedures for Kent State. He will work collaboratively with faculty and academic administrators to enhance and support the academic mission of the university. One of his first responsibilities will be to launch the next strategic plan for academic affairs.

As dean of graduate studies, van Dulmen will lead the growth, development and distinction of graduate education at Kent State, ensuring all graduate programs meet the highest standards of academic excellence. In partnership with the faculty of the colleges and the Division of Enrollment Management, he will direct the recruitment and admission of highly qualified and diverse graduate students. In addition, with the support of the colleges and the Division of Student Affairs, van Dulmen will cultivate an enriching, inclusive and equitable learning environment for graduate students.

“Dr. van Dulmen is an experienced and proven leader and a skillful administrator who has a reputation for meaningful collaboration across the university system,” Tankersley said. “He has served Kent State in positions of increasing responsibility over the years, and he has brought his reflective, critical thinking approach, grounded by our core values, to each initiative and issue. Since being named interim associate provost and interim dean of graduate studies, he has excelled in advancing the university. Of particular note is his exemplary handling of the numerous demands presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In May 2020, van Dulmen was named chair of Kent State’s Reopening Steering Committee, and since September 2020, he has led the university’s Pandemic Leadership Committee. Van Dulmen has led the university’s response to the virus, navigating both academic and nonacademic challenges, as well as supporting COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts for the Kent State community.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue in my leadership roles at Kent State,” van Dulmen said. “We have so much talent at Kent State, and I look forward to working with university members and community partners in the coming years. I look forward to contributing to Kent State’s commitment to being an access university where all students gain new knowledge, contribute to innovation and be ready to serve the community. As dean of graduate studies, I look forward to fully support graduate student success for all students and to ensure Kent State is a university where all graduate students can thrive.”  

Van Dulmen is an accomplished researcher and one of the nation’s leading scholars in his field of adolescent and young adult romantic relationships. He has co-authored more than 100 publications on the topic and is the founding editor-in-chief of the interdisciplinary journal Emerging Adulthood.

He first joined Kent State in 2004 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, later being promoted to associate professor and professor. Van Dulmen also has held numerous administrative appointments at Kent State, including graduate coordinator, associate chair and interim chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences before serving as interim associate provost for academic affairs and interim dean of the Division of Graduate Studies.

Van Dulmen received his doctorate in family social science from the University of Minnesota. He is a resident of Stow, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their three teenagers, AnneMeka, EllaNora and Ethan.

For more information about the Division of Academic Affairs, visit www.kent.edu/provost.

For more information about the Division of Graduate Studies, visit www.kent.edu/graduatestudies.

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Photo Caption:
Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as ������’s associate provost for academic affairs and dean of the Division of Graduate Studies, effective April 16.

Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595