(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Aug. 11, 2016) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today announced that Gary L. Bowen has been selected as the new dean for the School of Social Work. He is currently Kenan Distinguished Professor in the School.

“Gary Bowen is a longtime faculty member, who along with former Dean John B. Turner, worked to develop the school’s doctoral program from 1988-92. Over the years, that program has grown and is now one of the reasons the school is nationally recognized and consistently earns a top ranking in U.S. News and World Report,” said Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost James W. Dean Jr. “Chancellor Carol L. Folt and I are confident that under his leadership, the school will continue to develop innovative research that enhances social work practice and education.”

At Carolina, Bowen co-directs the School Success Profile project, an assessment tool used to design support services for middle and high school students. The tool helps to determine the strength of connections students have with neighbors, the school, their family and peer groups and determines services and support needed to increase the probability of the students’ success at school. The assessment tool has been used with more than 100,000 students in nearly 1,500 schools around the nation and has been translated into five languages for use in other countries.