Dean of Undergraduates and Professor of Sociology


Dean Gorman is broadly responsible for overseeing the undergraduate experience at Rice, including the general education curriculum. The Dean of Undergraduates Division includes 14 departments and the residential college system. Each serves as a resource for the living and learning environment on our campus, including:

• Academic and Career Supports (Office of Academic Advising, Center for Teaching Excellence, Center for Career Development, Student Success Initiatives)
• Experiential Learning and Leadership Development (Center for Civic Leadership, Study Abroad, Student Center and Activities, Student Media, Rice Bands)
• Health, Wellness and Behavioral Services (Rice Counseling Center, Student Wellbeing, The SAFE Office, Student Health Services, Student Judicial Programs)
• Residential College System: Eleven residential colleges that house roughly three-quarters of the undergraduate student body on campus and include residential faculty and staff who serve as College Magisters and Resident Associates (RAs).

Dean Gorman is also a Professor of Sociology and came to Rice in 2002 after completing her doctoral degree at Penn State University and her postdoctoral studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research examines social determinants of health and health disparities, and she has taught medical sociology and a variety of other health-related courses to undergraduates. She is a four-time winner of the George R. Brown Awards for teaching and, in 2017, received the Presidential Mentoring Award. From 2004 to 2008 she served as Resident Associate of Jones College, and along with her husband, Michael, she served as Magister of Will Rice College from 2011 to 2018.