Deputy Provost Janet Blume will become the interim dean of the Graduate School beginning Aug. 1, according to a Monday Today@Brown announcement from Provost Francis Doyle. She will assume the role following the departure of Dean Thomas Lewis ’90 on July 31.
In her new position, Blume will lead the “Graduate School in working with academic programs across the University to sustain excellence in doctoral and MFA education and support student success,” according to the announcement.
During her time at Brown, Blume has held a variety of positions, including associate professor of engineering, deputy dean of the faculty and interim chair of multiple academic departments, including the sociology, theatre arts and literary arts departments.
Blume also co-chaired the search committee for the associate provost of artificial intelligence and led the University’s bargaining team during contract negotiations with the Teaching Assistant Labor Organization.
“I have had the pleasure of working with graduate students throughout my Brown career,” Blume wrote in an email to The Herald, noting her time in the School of Engineering and the Dean of the Faculty’s office. “I’ve also had the honor of working with the (Graduate Student Council) leadership and am excited to continue that partnership and connect with graduate students in all fields of study.
Blume joined the University in 1986 after graduating from the California Institute of Technology, where she earned a PhD in applied mechanics and a master’s in civil engineering. She also holds a bachelor of science in engineering from Princeton.
“I am very excited and honored to have this role,” Blume wrote. “I am particularly interested in supporting success for graduate students while at Brown and beyond.”
“I recognize that these are challenging times for academia in general and graduate students in particular,” she added.
In the announcement, Doyle wrote that “plans regarding an internal search for a permanent dean will be shared in the coming weeks.” The University aims to permanently fill the position by early 2026.
Ian Ritter is a senior staff writer for university news. A junior studying chemistry, he covers the graduate schools & students and admissions & financial aid beats. When he isn’t at The Herald or exploding lab experiments, you can find him playing the clarinet, watching the Mets or eating Ratty carrot cake.
