Seasoned Professor Marisa Alicea Tapped As Interim Dean of Adult-Focused School for New Learning
July 11, 2007
Marisa Alicea, an associate professor and associate dean in the School for New Learning, has been chosen to serve as the school’s interim dean. SNL is tailored to meet the express educational needs of adults, many of whom are returning to school to complete degrees or to earn advanced degrees. Alicea will replace Susanne Dumbleton who stepped down from the deanship after 11 years to return to the classroom. Alicea will assume the deanship immediately and serve until a permanent dean has been identified.
"Professor Alicea has a proven track record of leadership and a firm commitment to both DePaul's and SNL's mission," said Helmut Epp, provost. "She was a natural choice to assume the duties of SNL dean and I am confident that she will maintain the excellence that defines the School for New Learning."
A 20-year DePaul veteran, Alicea brings a wealth of experience as an educator and administrator to the interim deanship, having served in a number of leadership positions in SNL and throughout the university. She began her tenure at DePaul as associate director of the Center for Latino Research and as a lecturer in the sociology department. From there, she moved to SNL where she has served in a variety of roles including associate professor, director of undergraduate programs at DePaul’s O’Hare campus and associate dean for curriculum and instruction. Prior to joining DePaul, she lectured at Northwestern University and worked as a graduate research fellow in its Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research.
Alicea is an authority on migration and settlement patterns within Latino communities, immigration issues for Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, as well as race and ethnic relations and gender studies. She earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in sociology from Northwestern University, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Northwestern.
Alicea is a frequent guest lecturer and has been invited to present on a range of subjects, including the role of women in the social construction of a transnational community and women and methadone use. She has lectured at such prestigious institutions as the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her scholarship has been published widely in journals, book reviews and articles. She also is the co-author of "Women Surviving Heroin: Interviews With Methadone Users" (2001, University Press) and co-editor of "Migration and Immigration: A Global Perspective" (2004, Greenwood Press).
