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UTEP Graduate School Dean Named Council of Graduate Schools Dean-in-Residence

Last Updated on March 18, 2019 at 12:00 AM

Originally published March 18, 2019

By UC Staff

UTEP Communications

Charles Ambler, Ph.D., associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at The University of Texas at El Paso, was named the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Dean-in-Residence for 2019-20.

Charles Ambler, Ph.D., associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at The University of Texas at El Paso, was named the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Dean-in-Residence for 2019-20. Photo by University Communications
Charles Ambler, Ph.D., associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at The University of Texas at El Paso, was named the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Dean-in-Residence for 2019-20. Photo by University Communications

The CGS is the national voice for graduate education, and the Dean-in-Residence program grants Ambler the opportunity to spend an academic year at CGS’s Washington, D.C. office. Each year the CGS president selects one applicant to pursue projects aligned with the dean’s interests and the council’s needs.

Ambler, a historian of Africa, will help the CGS build strategic relationships with graduate education leaders in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Dr. Ambler has spent his academic career dedicated to student success, mentoring, and ensuring access to quality graduate education,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “His expertise and leadership in African studies will help CGS members better understand the evolving place of sub-Saharan Africa in the global graduate education landscape.”

Ambler, who currently serves as a board member for CGS and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), describes working with CGS as an exciting opportunity to combine his deep interests in both graduate studies and international education.

“The council is an essential resource for anyone interested in graduate education, and I look forward to contributing to its mission,” Ambler said.

Ambler received his Ph.D. from Yale University, has authored or edited four books and has long been an advocate for diversity in graduate education. He has led a National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) grant in collaboration with Howard University. In 2010, he served as president of the African Studies Association, the major professional organization for scholars, teachers and practitioners with interests in Africa.

After heading the Graduate School twice for a total of 15 years, Ambler will step down at the end of the academic year and will begin his Dean-in-Residence position in August. He will be succeeded as dean of the Graduate School by Stephen Crites, Ph.D., who recently served as the interim dean for the College of Business Administration.