By: Cynthia Adams | Photos By: Nancy Evelyn

Dr. Maureen Grasso, dean of the University of Georgia’s Graduate School, retired from UGA on June 30, 2014, after a 12-year tenure. In 2002, she joined the Graduate School as the ninth dean, succeeding Gordhan L. Patel. In so doing, Grasso became the first dean chosen from outside the University, and the first female dean of the Graduate School.

“I want to focus on the whole student, and broaden our ideas about being successful in the 21st century,” she said in an interview for the book Centennial: Graduate Education at the University of Georgia 1910-2010.

On her last day in Athens, Grasso said, “The ties of family are powerful, especially now that I have a new grandson. My return to North Carolina allows me the chance to be in close proximity to my family and also to accept a brand new challenge. I’ve so many valuable friends and colleagues here in Georgia, and feel a deep kinship with Georgians and their commitment to fine education. I leave the UGA Graduate School with great expectations for its future.”

As a nationally recognized leader in graduate education, Grasso’s focus was building interdisciplinary programs and outreach to underrepresented students. As a result of aggressive recruitment and new initiatives, there was a 54 percent increase in African-American graduate students enrolled at UGA.

She also recognized the value of outreach to graduate alumni. In 2005, the Graduate School began publishing the Graduate School Magazine, publicizing outstanding research and scholarship among its students and alumni. Since its inception, it has received regional and national honors from CASE and from APEX. Also in 2005, she initiated a Graduate Education Advancement Board, and formalized fund raising for the Graduate School.

In 2009, Grasso was honored for outstanding contributions by the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools. She is a member of the Council of Graduate School’s board of directors and has served the council in a number of leadership positions.

Upon Grasso’s retirement, Julie Coffield became the interim dean of the Graduate School. Coffield, who has worked with the Graduate School since 2012, has been involved in graduate training and administration with the University for nearly 20 years. She joined the department of physiology and pharmacology in 1994 as an assistant professor.

In 2010, Julie Coffield became the director of the interdisciplinary toxicology program, a campus-wide program that includes students and faculty from several different colleges who share common interests in the field of toxicology.

Two years later, Coffield became the Graduate School’s associate dean. She also became chief of operations for the Graduate School, working closely with the Graduate School  staff in Admissions and Enrolled Student Services. In that role, her primary focus has been upon student affairs and program management as she assisted Graduate Coordinators. She also assisted in helping the Graduate School implement its 2020 Strategic Plan.

Coffield earned both a DVM and PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.