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Janie Long Named Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

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Janie Long

Janie Long, the director of Duke's Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity, has been named associate dean and vice provost in the Office of Undergraduate Education, vice provost Steve Nowicki announced Friday.

Long, who has taught at Duke since 2006, will succeed Donna Lisker, who will become Smith College's dean of the college in July. 

"Our office was created to better integrate the academic and social dimensions of the student experience," Nowicki said. "Janie brings invaluable perspective from her work in both arenas.  As a thoughtful scholar with years of teaching, research and advising, she also demonstrated her ability to inspire students to become leaders and bring about positive change."

As associate dean and vice provost, Long will work with Nowicki on all facets of coordinating the undergraduate educational experience at Duke. She also will collaborate with senior administrators from schools, departments and units that serve undergraduates, including financial aid. 

Long, a first-generation college graduate from Cherryville, N.C., is a licensed family therapist who holds a doctorate degree from Virginia Tech, and a master's degree from Duke Divinity School. She served on the faculties of The University of Georgia, The University of Louisiana, Purdue University, and Antioch College, leaving a tenured position in 2006 to run Duke's Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Life, which was renamed the Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity in 2013.  

"I have had an amazing eight years at Duke in my current role, and I am now eager to increase my reach to undergraduate students more broadly across the Duke campus and help to shape their experience at Duke," Long said. "My potential to influence the lives of students in positive ways has always driven my passion to be a part of the academy."

Long said her time in the classroom as well as in student affairs has helped her “to experience firsthand how co-curricular involvement and activities can deepen and even extend one’s appreciation for the knowledge gained in the classroom and vice versa. This position also allows me to continue to serve and give back to Duke, a school that won my heart years ago." 

Long holds an affiliated faculty position in Women's Studies and Sexuality Studies;  her students consistently rank her classes in the university's top 5 percent. She is also a faculty affiliate in a current Bass Connections project through Duke Global Health. She has been a pre-major advisor and served on senior honors thesis committees.

Long also has facilitated at the Common Ground student retreat, and presented to groups such as the Residential Advisors, the FAC board, student athletes, Greek associations and numerous undergraduate classes.

Students describe Long as caring and a strong mentor who can bring together people of varying views to get things done. She led the group of students, faculty and administrators who decided to change the name of the LGBT Center to encourage more people to learn about its issues, as well as the move of the renamed center to its prominent location near the entrance to the Bryan Center.    

"She has had a profound impact on my time here at Duke," said Jordan Fraser, a University Scholar and linguistics major from Montreal who graduated in May and interned for more than two years at the LGBT Center. "She will pretty much do anything for students. You can call and text her and she will gladly rearrange her schedule to talk about anything. She always got you in the back of her mind."

Fraser said Long is a big believer in wanting everyone to achieve their greatest potential.   

"Janie is very committed to making sure everyone's voice is heard," Fraser said. "It's part of her leadership style. She includes everyone."