New Graduate Studies Dean

JOHNSON CITY – (June 25, 2018) Dr. Sharon James McGee has been named dean of East Tennessee State University’s School of Graduate Studies.

McGee comes to ETSU from Western Carolina University where she served as associate dean of the Graduate School and was actively involved in recruitment and admissions, professional development for students and program development.

“I am extremely pleased that Sharon McGee will be joining ETSU as dean of the School of Graduate Studies,” said Dr. Bert Bach, ETSU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “She comes with significant experience as a successful department chair, with administrative experience in a graduate school, and with an enviable reputation for innovation, commitment to student success, and effective communication and data driven decision making.”

McGee is a native of Johnson City and attended University School. She graduated from ETSU with a Master of Arts degree in English and completed her Ph.D. at Purdue University. McGee joined the faculty in the Department of English Language and Literature at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and was named department chair in 2010.

“What an honor it is to be chosen as the dean of Graduate Studies at ETSU, an institution that is special to me,” she said. “As a graduate student here, faculty in the (then) English Department helped start my scholarly passion. They encouraged me and helped shape the beginning of my career. All these years later, I return full circle.”

McGee will begin her role as dean on July 25. Her predecessor, Dr. Cecilia McIntosh, will return to the Department of Biological Sciences to teach and conduct research.

“It is humbling and exciting to now lead the School of Graduate Studies, building upon ETSU’s legacy of caring, committed faculty and innovative programs. Dr. McIntosh has left me an incredible foundation on which to move forward,” McGee added.

In 2017, ETSU’s School of Graduate Studies had it its largest class for the third consecutive year with 2,442 students, an increase of 3.7 percent from the previous year.

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