Marisa Alicea, an associate professor and associate dean in theSchool for New Learning (SNL) at DePaul University, has been chosen to serve as the school’s interim dean. SNL is tailored to meet the express educational needs of adults, many of whom are returning to school to complete degrees or to earn advanced degrees. Alicea will replace Susanne Dumbleton who stepped down from the deanship after 11 years to return to the classroom. Alicea will assume the deanship immediately and serve until a permanent dean has been identified.

“Professor Alicea has a proven track record of leadership and a firm commitment to both DePaul's and SNL's mission,” said Helmut Epp DePaul provost. “She was a natural choice to assume the duties of SNL dean and I am confident that she will maintain the excellence that defines the School for New Learning.”

A 20-year DePaul veteran, Alicea brings a wealth of experience as an educator and administrator to the interim deanship, having served in a number of leadership positions in SNL and throughout the university. She began her tenure at DePaul as associate director of the Center for Latino Research and as a lecturer in DePaul’s sociology department. From there, she moved to SNL where she has served in a variety of roles including associate professor, director of undergraduate programs at DePaul’s O’Hare campus and associate dean for curriculum and instruction. Prior to joining DePaul she lectured at Northwestern University and worked as a graduate research fellow in Northwestern’s Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research.

Alicea is an authority on migration and settlement patterns within Latino communities, immigration issues for Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans, as well as race and ethnic relations and gender studies. She earned her PhD and master’s degrees in sociology from Northwestern University and she holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Northwestern.

Alicea is a frequent guest lecturer and has been invited to present on a range of subjects, including the role of women in the social construction of a transnational community and women and methadone use. She has lectured at such prestigious institutions as the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her scholarship has been published widely in journals, book reviews and articles. She also is the co-author of “Women Surviving Heroin: Interviews With Methadone Users” (2001, University Press) and co-editor of “Migration and Immigration: A Global Perspective” (2004, Greenwood Press).

As interim dean of SNL, Alicea will lead one of the first schools in the nation created to serve the specific needs of adult learners. Established in 1972, SNL has earned a national reputation for offering innovative, adult-focused curricula and on-site degree programs. It currently offers on-site programs at several U. S. corporations. Programs in South Africa and Hong Kong also are patterned on the SNL model.

“Assuming the interim deanship of SNL is something that is close to my heart because over the years that I’ve worked in SNL I’ve had the opportunity to see the school grow and mature,” said Alicea. “It will give me the opportunity to nurture and lead a school and faculty that has set a novel course to address the needs of adults who might not fare as well in the educational process if they were immersed in academic pursuits with 18- or 19-year-old students. I am honored to be the one selected to keep SNL on the inventive course that has been set by Dean Dumbleton.”