Kenneth Elmore Named 14th President of Dean College

The Dean College Board of Trustees is proud to announce Kenneth Elmore, J.D. as the 14th President of Dean College. Elmore, currently the Associate Provost and Dean of Students at Boston University will be on campus starting July 5, 2022.

As President, Elmore will report directly to the Board of Trustees and will work closely with newly named Chancellor, Edward M. Augustus, Jr. The two gentlemen will lead Dean College in successfully implementing its Mission and support Dean’s national recognition for The Dean Difference – the College’s distinct model for student success.

“I am extremely excited to begin my tenure as Dean College President,” says Elmore. “Dean is an extraordinary institution with a rich history that spans many chapters. I look forward to building upon this strong foundation and working with the Dean Community to continue building Dean’s story,” says Elmore.

Elmore has more than three decades of higher education experience as an accomplished leader, connector, and community builder. Throughout his career Kenn has been an institutional catalyst dedicated to making and keeping the common ground compelling. Elmore’s signature is his commitment to public engagement and the pluralistic ideal. His “work” is to break barriers of divisiveness by pushing communities to discover their shared humanity and to foster meaningful, authentic friendships. Ken has worked with students – graduate and undergraduate – to expand their intellectual, social, and spiritual growth.

Kenn has co-led efforts at Boston University to facilitate a climate for free speech and expression – to expose, debate, and wrestle with ideas, understand our bias, and encourage critical engagement. Early in his career as a Dean of Students, Elmore pioneered a long-standing weekly discussion series – Coffee and Conversation – to foster inclusive atmosphere through listening and idea exchange.

Elmore co-led a university-wide initiative to refresh the pluralistic ideal by expanding the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. As a thought-leader and roll-up-the-sleeves creator, Kenn created a 19,000 square feet physical forum for challenging presumptions, questioning easy and comfortable answers, and fostering dialogue amongst people, even when they differ. Cultural interchange, visible interaction, listening, inclusive atmosphere, hospitality, generosity, heart, and soul are the tenets of the Howard Thurman Center.

Elmore has cultivated an institutional mindset that ensures that traditional non-academic departments understand that the student experience is multi-dimensional and not solely about social integration and skill-based experiences “outside the classroom” as a way to achieve greater outcomes for students. He has written on and shaped co-curricular experiences within Boston University’s general education requirements.

Colleagues recognize Elmore as a visionary who has driven improvements and change while bringing people together. Kenn has received several honors and professional distinctions, including being named a Pillar of the Profession by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and a Diamond Honoree by the American College Personnel Association - College Student Educators International (ACPA,) for his outstanding work in student affairs and services, and in higher education. In 2019, Elmore was selected by the Mayor of Boston to deliver the annual, historic Fourth of July Oration at Faneuil Hall.

Kenn Elmore is a lifelong advocate, teacher and learner who believes in the potential of students and the value of education to change lives. He is a graduate of Brown University, Boston University, and New England Law. A native of Brooklyn New York and a longtime resident of Boston, Kenn is inspired by his spouse Abby and Elijah and Odessa – his adult children.

“Kenn is a dynamic, thoughtful and visionary leader, whose values, vision and commitment to student success align with Dean’s Mission,” said Chair of the Board of Trustees Mark Boyce. “We are confident that Kenn will do a tremendous job as President and are extremely excited for him to begin his tenure.”

Dean College was assisted in its search by Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC.