Brian Carolan, Ph.D., has been selected as the new dean for the Manhattanville College School of Education in Purchase, New York. Carolan has been serving as dean of the School for Graduate Studies at SUNY Empire State University where he was responsible for academic development, enrollment, program delivery and leading initiatives that foster a diverse and inclusive environment. Prior to his current role he was dean of graduate studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. As dean at the School of Education at Manhattanville, he will work to maintain and develop relationships with school districts and other partner institutions to expand the network of teaching sites for students and build on the strong reputation of the school. These sites include those that receive support and guidance from the Changing Suburbs Institute and the Rose Institute for Learning and Literacy at Manhattanville.
“Brian Carolan will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the School of Education at Manhattanville and fulfilling our mission to educate ethical and socially responsible leaders,” said Christine Dehne, M.F.A., provost and executive vice president at Manhattanville. “His experience focusing on the success of graduate students and nontraditional learners will serve Manhattanville and Westchester County well as we expand our online program offerings and our use of digital learning technologies, building on our commitment to prepare the qualified educators that our local schools need.”
Carolan will also work to enhance the experience for undergraduate education majors. A former high school teacher, Carolan is a scholar with research interests in the field of the sociology of education, bringing insights into the intersection of education and society. His research has examined the complex ways in which high school size, grade span, policies and institutional practices impact student success and how social factors, such as class, race, gender and culture, influence educational access and outcomes. He has expertise in quantitative research methods and is a recognized expert in the study of social networks having authored one of the first textbooks on this topic, “Social Network Analysis for Educational Researchers,” published in 2013, provides strategies for examining the relationships, interactions and dynamics in groups.
Carolan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, his Master of Philosophy from the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Columbia University, Teachers College. He will take the helm as Shelley Wepner, Ed.D., steps down to focus on teaching after serving as dean of the School of Education for close to 20 years.
Manhattanville College is a small, private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education and social justice. “U.S. News and World Report” ranks Manhattanville the number one private, nonprofit institution in New York among Top Performers of Social Mobility in Regional Universities North 2022 and 2023.
