Gretchen Young, Program Specialist in the Study Abroad Office at the University of Connecticut, will begin her tenure as Barnard College's Dean for Study Abroad Advising on August 18, 2008.

The hiring of Young comes after a national search. Administrators began the search in April after Hilary Link, who previously served as Study Abroad Dean, was named Assistant Provost and Dean for International Programs.

According to a memo from Barnard, Young has directed School for International Training study abroad programs in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar; Dakar, Senegal; and Durban, South Africa. Young designed curricula and teacher training programs, and supervised staff members while connecting with international government and non-government officials. Young also established a Peace Corps site in Madagascar.

"I knew the reputation of Barnard and was attracted to it," Young said. "I’ve lived in new york city before and I adore it," she added. Young said that she is excited to begin her foray into women's education, and thought Barnard was a good match because "the study abroad philosophy fit nicely with my own, the institution's goal to globalize and broaden its horizons a bit."

Dean of Studies Karen Blank said in an interview that Young's credentials, along with references that heralded her teamwork, secured her hiring. "She’s very attractive because of the quite extraordinarily deep and broad background that she has for the position," Blank said. "She really has had a wealth of experience in study abroad advising and in international affairs, and the fact that she had been a director in Africa for six years suggests a very strong knowledge of that part of the world, which is very important here."

Blank added that recent years have seen an influx in study abroad programs that focus on fieldwork rather than "traditional" study abroad experiences that revolve around coursework at prominent schools. Blank said that Young's work in Africa especially qualifies her for advising fieldwork-related study abroad programs.

Aside from her long resume of work in international programs, Young has also been involved in educational programs closer to Barnard. After earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Middlebury, Young taught middle school students in Forest Hills, Queens, and at Deerfield Academy. “All of us who participated in the search are confident that you will enjoy and benefit from working with Dean Young,” Blank said in the announcement.

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For more details about administrative shifts at Barnard, see http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/31182 .