September 14, 2021

Columbus State University has appointed Dr. Margie Yates as the inaugural dean of Research and Graduate Studies, effective Sept. 15. Yates has been at CSU since 2012 as both a faculty and staff member, most recently as the interim associate provost and director of the Graduate School.

“This is a very special ‘communiversity’ where students are challenged to be innovative and to create new opportunities for themselves and their communities,” Yates said. “I am excited about the chance to lead and expand opportunities in graduate education, research, and creative endeavors, and align those things with the needs of our communities.”

Nearly 20 percent of Columbus State’s overall student body is enrolled in graduate programs—and more than half of those students are over the age of 30. Topping the list of CSU’s 35-plus graduate degree programs in terms of enrollment is its Family Nurse Practitioner, Curriculum and Teaching, and Public Safety Administration programs.

The deanship was created to lead CSU’s ever-growing graduate and research missions by representing the school to internal and external constituents and supporting professional outreach and service regionally, nationally and internationally. The dean will report directly to CSU’s provost and executive vice president, serve on the provost’s Deans’ Council and Academic Council, and lead the university’s Graduate Council.

“I am very excited to have Dr. Yates join our leadership team on a permanent basis,” said Dr. Deborah Bordelon, provost and executive vice president. “She brings to this inaugural dean position creativity, innovation, and a passion for graduate education and research endeavors. I look forward to working with her in cultivating and enhancing a strong culture of graduate education and research at all levels across our CSU community. 

In her time as interim director of the Graduate School, Yates planned and organized the first-ever Virtual Graduate Writing Retreats; began a graduate student professional development series centered around mental health, inclusion, diversity, equity and access; and created the Grad Impact series featuring graduates who have significant influence in Columbus and beyond.

As a teacher education professor, Yates’ research interests have included teacher resistance to change, online learning, closing the achievement gap, and immigrant and refugee children in the United States.

Yates holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Georgia, a M.Ed. in early childhood education from Columbus State University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teaching: Elementary Education from Auburn University. Her areas of academic interest include supporting graduate students’ mental health, employers’ perceived needs for the future workforce, factors affecting instructors’ responses to innovation, and effective professional development for faculty in higher education. She has more than 25 scholarly publications and 30 conference presentations to her credit.

Yates was selected from four finalists identified by the 10-member search committee. That search was chaired by Dr. Alan Karass, dean of University Libraries. The committee was comprised of faculty and staff.

Graduate Studies at CSU seeks to promote student achievement, research, scholarship, global learning, strategic partnerships, and engagement in discovery and practice. CSU provides master’s and specialist degrees in more than 35 areas of study, and a doctor of education degree in curriculum and leadership. For more information about the Graduate School at Columbus State, visit graduateschool.columbusstate.edu.