Grabill named dean of UB College of Arts and Sciences

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jeffrey T. Grabill, PhD, deputy vice chancellor for student education at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, has been named dean of the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.

The appointment, effective Aug. 1, was announced today by A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, following an extensive international search.

As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Grabill will oversee UB’s largest and most diverse academic unit. The College has 30 departments, 16 academic programs and 23 centers and institutes in the arts and humanities, natural sciences and mathematics and the social sciences.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Grabill to UB to lead our College of Arts and Sciences,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “Dr. Grabill is a highly engaged and impactful scholar who has demonstrated creative, strategic leadership in service of educational excellence and student success. We look forward to working with him to build upon the College of Arts and Sciences’ reputation as an academic home of outstanding students and internationally recognized faculty who are dedicated to using their expertise to contribute meaningfully to the world.”

Grabill succeeds Robin Schulze, who announced her intention to step down as dean and return to her faculty role this past summer.

“Dr. Grabill stood out because of his significant leadership experience, impressive scholarly accomplishments, strong commitment to the liberal arts, and proven ability to work with faculty across disciplines to create and implement a shared vision,” Weber said. “Under his leadership, I am confident that the College of Arts and Sciences will build on its strengths; achieve even greater prominence in research, scholarship, creative activities and education; and enhance its impact on our local and global communities.”

Grabill said he’s thrilled to be joining UB at a time when the university and New York State are leading efforts to harness AI for the betterment of society. 

“The investments of Empire AI in the state and at the university provide far more than computing power,” Grabill said. “They are an opportunity for academics and students across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences to explore possibilities and engage the challenges of the moment.”

“The college is exceptional in its depth and breadth, and it is an honor to join as a colleague and partner in the important work we will do together,” he added.

Since 2021, Grabill has helped lead one of the largest higher education institutions in the U.K. Leeds has an enrollment of roughly 40,000 students from 170 countries and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading U.K. public research universities.

At Leeds, Grabill led a comprehensive, innovative education strategy focused on enhancing assessment, teaching, active learning and skills development across the university. Prior to Leeds, Grabill was at Michigan State University for nearly 20 years, including as a professor and former chair of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures and associate provost for teaching, learning, and technology.

As associate provost at Michigan State, he was responsible for facilitating educational excellence and innovation, reimagining professional development for educators, supporting student success, creating the university’s online strategy and leading the pivot to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also served as an assistant professor of English at Georgia State University from 1997 to 2002. 

Grabill is an expert in rhetoric and professional writing who researches how digital writing is associated with citizenship and learning in community contexts, museums and classrooms at all levels. 

A prolific scholar whose research has been supported by numerous grants, Grabill has published three books and nearly 60 articles and book chapters, which have garnered several book and paper awards. He has also served on the editorial boards for nine journals and book series and is the former president of the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication. He also co-founded Drawbridge, an educational technology company.

Grabill holds a PhD in English from Purdue University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Kent State University and Wabash College, respectively.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Dean S. Todd Brown and the members of the search committee for their outstanding service, which was crucial to the successful outcome of this search,” Weber said. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dean Robin Schulze for her dedicated leadership of UB’s College of Arts and Sciences over the last nine years.”