Wayne State University is pleased to announce the selection of Hilary Horn Ratner as associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

Under Ratner's leadership, the Graduate School will continue to advance graduate education at the university, focusing on student recruitment, funding and mentoring. This focus will include promoting student professional development and annual student evaluations, increasing external awards and funding, and improving student productivity and program-completion rate.

In her role as associate provost, Ratner will be involved in strategic-planning efforts and academic-program development. Ratner, an active and funded scholar, is also expected to promote the research enterprise, particularly with respect to graduate students.

Ratner, who had been the Graduate School's interim dean for the past year, will continue to report to Charles R. Bantz, Wayne State University provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

"Hilary Ratner's success as a researcher, teacher and associate dean make her the best choice for dean of the Graduate School," Bantz said. "Hilary has an excellent research record including funding for her work on learning and memory. She has already made a significant difference to our students by improving the graduate school's processes and procedures, and she is committed to improving our mentorship of doctoral students."

Ratner, who earned a PhD in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago before joining the Wayne State faculty in 1981, is highly respected as a researcher as well as an administrator. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of a research team that recently received a grant of more than $1 million from the US Department of Education to study the impact of community violence on children's learning.

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Hilary Horn Ratner is a native of Stow, Ohio.