Laura A. Dean

Dr. Laura Dean is a Professor in the UGA College Student Affairs Administration Program. Previously, she served as the senior student affairs officer at Pfeiffer University and at Peace College in North Carolina. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from Westminster College (PA) and her graduate degrees in Counselor Education/Student Development in Higher Education, both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A member of ACPA, NASPA, the American Counseling Association, and the American College Counseling Association, she was also active in the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) for 20 years, serving on the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, as Publications Editor, and as President. She has been recognized with the ACPA Diamond Honoree and Senior Professional Annuit Coeptis awards, the NASPA Robert H. Shaffer Award for Academic Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member, the American College Counseling Association Professional Leadership Award, the Ted K. Miller Award for Excellence from the Southern Association for College Student Affairs and the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, and the Ira E. Aaron Award for Teaching Excellence and Collegiality from the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education. Her research interests include assessment, the use of professional standards, and the improvement of practice.