Gene Andrew Jarrett ’97 named Princeton’s dean of the faculty
Jarrett, who also has been named the William S. Tod Professor of English, will begin Aug. 1.
Gene Andrew Jarrett ’97 has been named dean of the faculty at Princeton University, where he will also become the William S. Tod Professor of English. An influential academic administrator, professor and scholar of African American literary studies, Jarrett was the Seryl Kushner Dean of the College of Arts and Science (CAS) and professor of English at New York University.
“I am thrilled that Gene Andrew Jarrett has agreed to be Princeton’s next dean of the faculty,” President Christopher L. Eisgruber said. “He brings to the office a rare combination of scholarly excellence, administrative experience, and deep devotion to liberal arts education and Princeton’s defining values. He is also a nationally recognized leader on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. I am delighted to welcome him back to Princeton, and I look forward to working closely with him in the years to come.”
Jarrett earned master’s and doctoral degrees in English from Brown University and began his faculty career began in 2002 at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he started as an assistant professor of English. As a scholar and teacher, he focuses on African American literary history from the 18th century to the present; broader U.S. literary history between the Civil War and World War II; and theories of literature, aesthetics and intellectual historiography. He is the author of two acclaimed books and the editor of eight more books on African American literature and literary criticism. For this scholarship he has won awards from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and the American Council of Learned Societies. His third authored book, a comprehensive biography of the legendary African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, is forthcoming from Princeton University Press next year, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the poet’s birth.
“I seek to ensure that the faculty is recognized even more for its scholarly excellence, its dedication to innovative teaching, and its diversity of intellectual ideas and social experiences of the world,” Jarrett said. “As an alumnus, I have always held a profound, abiding interest in the academic culture and future of Princeton University. Being dean of the faculty will enable me to help advance the University’s longstanding commitment to having a positive impact on humanity, a core idea of higher education that continues to inspire me.”
Visit the main University website to read the complete announcement.
Photo by ©Kahn: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau
