Dwyer named associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Princeton

By the Office of Communications on Aug. 20, 2018, 11 a.m.

Brighid Dwyer, who since 2015 has been director of the Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) at Villanova University, has been appointed to the new position of associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Princeton University.

Brighid Dwyer

Brighid Dwyer

Photo by Darryl Moran

Dwyer’s appointment will be effective Oct. 1. She will be responsible for developing curricula and implementing training programs to enhance student learning and to build their capacity to engage in thoughtful dialogue on issues of diversity, inclusion and identity. This role will allow Dwyer to foster collaborative relationships with campus partners and assist with streamlining student-focused training requests and efforts. She will report to LaTanya Buck, dean of diversity and inclusion, within the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life.

“I am pleased to have Brighid join our team and the Princeton community,” Buck said. “She brings a breadth and depth of experience and knowledge that will enhance our co-curricular initiatives around student learning. Brighid’s vast experience with curriculum development and assessment will help build upon outcomes-based and data-driven student training and development efforts.”

In heading the IGR program at Villanova, Dwyer has developed and implemented several programs and workshops on diversity and inclusivity for students, faculty and administrators. From 2011 to 2014, she was assistant director of research and training and ombudsperson at Villanova’s Center for Multicultural Affairs.

"I am thrilled to join the Princeton University community and collaborate with a team of diversity and inclusion professionals within the division of Campus Life and across the university,” Dwyer said. “It is a really exciting time to join Princeton as the university deepens its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion by welcoming an increasingly diverse student body.

“I love engaging students in thoughtful dialogue about identity, equity and justice. These conversations make all of us think, learn and grow in ways that challenge us and make us better domestic and global citizens.”

From 2011 to 2016, Dwyer was an adjunct faculty member at Villanova in the Department of Education and Counseling, the Department of Communication, the Center for Peace and Justice Education, and the College of Professional Studies. Since 2017 she has been an assistant professor in the Department of Education and Counseling, and the Department of Communication.

From 2010 to 2013, she was an adjunct faculty member in the Public Service and Social Science Division at Delaware County Community College. 

She has also worked this year as a curriculum developer for the Race and Equity Center and the Equity Institutes at the University of Southern California.

Dwyer has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California Los Angeles and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan. 

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