Natalie McKnight has been appointed dean of Boston University’s College of General Studies after serving as the college’s interim dean, BU Today announced to the student body Friday.
Faculty learned about McKnight’s appointment in an announcement on July 18. She has served as the college’s interim dean since July 1, 2013. McKnight has served in a variety of roles at CGS over the past 24 years, including associate dean, associate professor of rhetoric and associate professor of humanities, associate dean for faculty research and development and director of the CGS Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning from 2011 to 2013, McKnight said in an email.
“[I hope to bring] an understanding, an appreciation of the effectiveness of our interdisciplinary, core-curriculum program and an appreciation of the accomplishments of the faculty, both of which I hope to spread the word about both within and beyond BU,” she said.
While serving as the interim dean of CGS, McKnight renovated the natural science laboratories, promoted CGS student groups not funded by the Student Activities Office and helped launched the first CGS Boston-London study abroad program, with help from CGS faculty and administration, she said.
McKnight said she hopes to communicate to BU students that CGS courses can fulfill several foundation requirements mandated by other colleges.
“I would like to see more non-CGS students taking CGS core courses and electives,” she said. “I also want to see the Science Center completed and benefitting the entire BU community.”
Linda Wells, who served as dean of CGS for 13 years before stepping down from the post in July 2013, said she is confident in McKnight’s ability to lead the school.
“She is extremely talented, she is extremely hard-working and she’s very forward-thinking. She has a very good perspective for where higher education is,” she said. “So for all of her talents, I just think she’s the perfect person to fill that role.”
Wells said because McKnight has served as a leader in CGS for many years, she is well equipped to continue to push the school in years to come.
“We have been around for over 60 years, and we have a lot of history, and each decade brings a new student body to not just the College of General Studies but to Boston University,” she said. “Natalie has a great sense of higher education in what is now the second decade of the 21st century. As faculty and administration, we have a very close connection with our students, and Natalie will definitely carry that along as well.”
Julie Sandell, associate provost for faculty affairs, said McKnight is a good fit for the role of dean and will have a positive impact on the CGS community.
“It is helpful for CGS to have a permanent dean after a year of transition, especially one as skilled as Natalie McKnight,” she said in an email.
Several CGS students said they appreciated McKnight’s contributions to CGS and are pleased that she has officially been appointed as the college’s dean.
Natalie Jamnik, a CGS sophomore, said she participated in the first trial of McKnight’s Boston-London Program, and she hopes to see further improvements to CGS in the coming years.
“I hope the Dean makes the transition a bit smoother for students coming into school a semester late,” Jamnik said.
“I’m excited to welcome the new dean to CGS,” said CGS freshman Ashley Bryan. “We will be able to get fresh perspectives and outlooks on how to better our college.”
