After a competitive nationwide search, Gregory Lanier has been named the new dean of The University of New Mexico Honors College. The announcement was made by UNM President Chaouki Abdallah and Provost Craig White. The appointment is effective July 1.
Lanier is currently the director of the Kugelman Honors Program at The University of West Florida, where he holds joint appointments in Honors, Theatre and English as a full professor.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Lanier,” said Provost White. “He has demonstrated an ability to lead and grow honors programs in his former positions, and is a recognized leader in the national honors community. We look forward to him bringing his energy and expertise to The University of New Mexico.”
Lanier earned his Ph.D. in English from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1986. He has served as a faculty member at The University of West Florida for more than 30 years.
During his time at UWF, he also served as chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages from 1993-2000, the director of the University Honors Program since 2000, director of Interdisciplinary Studies from 2006-2009, head of the School of Fine and Performing Arts from 2003-2005, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2006-2014, and, finally, he was the founding dean of University College in 2014.
"I am deeply honored to be given the opportunity to lead the Honors College at The University of New Mexico,” Lanier said. “The many strengths and examples of distinction that characterize Honors at UNM have long stood as models for many of us in the nation, and I hope to be able to contribute to the tradition of lasting challenge and excellence that is central to the UNM Honors College."
Lanier’s reputation as an expert in Honors curriculum development and assessment practices is known internationally throughout institutions of higher education. His research in these areas appears in the monograph “A Practical Handbook for the Review of Honors Programs and Colleges,” and in a number of articles published in the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council.
In 2010, Lanier was elected to the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) as a Charter Fellow. He has served the organization as vice president, president-elect, and president, as well as for three years on the NCHC board of directors, and as the current chair of the NCHC Assessment and Evaluation Committee.
Questions or comments can be directed to provost@unm.edu.