D’Youville Announces Frierson as New Dean of SASE

D’Youville Announces Frierson as New Dean of SASE

D’Youville Vice President for Academic Affairs, Mimi Steadman EdD, has announced that Georita Marie Frierson PhD, is the new dean of the School of Arts, Sciences and Education (SASE). Frierson will begin her role in July. 

“With her impressive record of scholarship, experience in program development and accreditation, and dedication to mentoring diverse learners, Dr. Frierson offers leadership and expertise well-aligned with D’Youville’s strategic priorities and key initiatives in SASE,” said Steadman. “We look forward to welcoming Dr. Frierson to D'Youville later this summer.” 

“I am extremely excited to have Dr. Frierson joining us at D’Youville and leading the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education,” said President Lorrie Clemo. “She comes to us with deeply relevant experience. She is a distinguished scholar and an accomplished administrator who will serve the College well. I am grateful that the search committee selected such a dynamic, energetic, and strategic leader.” 

Dr. Frierson received her PhD in behavioral medicine, health psychology and quantitative psychology from Ohio State University, and completed her doctoral internship and post-doctoral training at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, RI. Dr. Frierson earned her B.A. with honors from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. She has a strong commitment to diversity education and research training, as well as recruitment of underserved, under-represented, and diverse populations.   

Frierson, quoting Ghandi, is looking forward to meeting new horizons here at D’Youville. “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a person changes his/her own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him/her. We need not wait to see what others do.”     

At D’Youville, Frierson will oversee the implementation of the redesigned core curriculum; creatively grow student enrollment within the school in both online and on campus programs; reinvigorate the school through collaborative ties throughout campus and through K-12 partnerships; and act as a driving force for the creation of new degree programs.  

“Dr. Frierson inherits a school that has recently expanded its reach in undergraduate pathway programs, civic engagement, service learning, study abroad opportunities, and experiential learning under former Interim Dean Dr. Albert DiCiccio,” added Clemo. “We thank Dean Diciccio for his inspired leadership as interim dean — we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his excellent work.” 

Frierson is a licensed clinical psychologist who previously served as the department head and as a professor in the Department of Psychology at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. She is also the inaugural Director of the AP- accredited clinical psychology PhD program at Rowan. Dr. Frierson was appointed the 2017-18 Dean’s Fellow of Graduate Education for Rowan University’s College of Science and Mathematics/School of Health Professions (CSM/SHP), and currently serves as a Commissioner for the APA Commission for Accreditation.