Carleton Dean of the College Beverly Nagel ’75 announces retirement
A proud Carleton alumna, Nagel has served as the Dean of the College since 2009. Prior to that, the Winifred and Atherton Bean Professor of Sociology, Science, Technology, and Society served as the associate dean for four years.
Beverly Nagel ’75, chief academic officer and Dean of the College, has announced her retirement, effective at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
A proud Carleton alumna, Nagel began her professional career at Carleton in 1980 and has served as the Dean of the College since 2009. Prior to that, the Winifred and Atherton Bean Professor of Sociology, Science, Technology, and Society served as the associate dean for four years.
“Carleton has been blessed to have Beverly Nagel serving with enormous talent, integrity, grace, and success as the Dean of the College for the last 11 years,” Carleton President Steve Poskanzer said. “I have witnessed countless examples of her wisdom, superb sense of academic quality, vision, courage, and leadership on behalf of her alma mater. My admiration and respect for Bev is unbounded, and I know that my assessment of her great talents and appreciation for what she has done for and at Carleton is shared by the wider community. Bev’s impact on this College has been profound and will be enduring; she has been at the epicenter of every recent major academic initiative at Carleton.”
Dean Nagel oversees the faculty and academic programs of the College. She is responsible for faculty recruitment, review and promotion, as well as review of academic departments and programs. She has been responsible for hiring more than 40 percent of Carleton’s current faculty. As Dean, Nagel has chaired the Budget Committee and has been a key leader in putting—and keeping—the College’s finances on a solid foundation. She has been a consistent champion for investments in faculty positions, research support, and pedagogical innovation. She has repeatedly helped conceive of and brought to fruition new academic initiatives that have enriched curriculum and garnered direct support from major external funders (e.g., Visualizing the Liberal Arts; Broadening the Bridge collaborations with St. Olaf; Global Engagement Initiative; and Public Works: Arts & Humanities Connecting Communities).
Nagel’s tenure as Dean has witnessed a significant expansion of faculty ranks; the implementation of a five-course teaching load; growing faculty and staff expertise in technologically-enhanced teaching and learning; and the strengthening of major academic support units such as the Library and the Perlman Museum and the Learning and Teaching Center. She has recruited, mentored, and collaborated with exceptionally talented staff in her Division and office.
At the close of the 2020-21 academic year, Nagel will take a sabbatical, preparatory to retiring from the faculty. This will provide her the opportunity to focus on her scholarly passion of rural grassroots community economic and political development in Paraguay.
Nagel earned her B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Carleton and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.