Kimberley Bassett will join the Whiting School of Engineering as assistant dean for undergraduate academic advising, effective September 20, 2021.
Bassett will lead the Whiting School’s academic advising team, and will coordinate advising practices with WSE’s academic departments. She joins Johns Hopkins as the advising offices of the Whiting School of Engineering and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences—in collaboration with NACADA and the Gardner Institute—are in the second phase of the multi-year Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) initiative. Her skills and visionary leadership experience will contribute to WSE’s broader institutional mission and goals.
Since 2015, Bassett has served as associate dean in the University of Virginia’s Office of African-American Affairs, having joined that office in 2007 after earning her PhD in chemistry. Her work there employed relationship building, peer-to-peer mentorship, and mental health support to promote a thriving, creative learning environment. She also directed the OAAA Peer Advisor Program, which provided personalized support and counseling for first-year and entering transfer students. Her work was recognized with UVA’s 2021 Elizabeth Zintl Leadership Award for “spearhead[ing] the office’s efforts to provide comprehensive academic advising for students.”