PEMBROKE — Dr. Irene Pittman Aiken, dean of The Graduate School at UNC Pembroke, has been named 2021-2022 president of the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools (NCCGS).
The NCCGS is comprised of 22 public and private institutions and offers more than 800 master’s, doctoral and first professional degree programs in a variety of fields. Its mission is to advance graduate education and research through best practice initiatives, data analysis, advocacy and global engagement.
“It is an honor to serve in this leadership role for NCCGS. This organization promotes graduate education and highlights the importance graduate studies play in the economic and scientific life of our state. Members share ideas and responsibilities of that charge and I look forward to my part in that effort,” said Dr. Aiken.
Dr. Aiken joined the faculty in 1994 and has had a varied and distinguished career that included pioneering online teaching at UNCP. She served as director of the Teaching Fellows and the Graduate Elementary Education programs and as a chair of the Professional studies, Middle Grades and the Master of Arts in Teaching programs. In addition to her deanship, she is a tenured Professor in the School of Education. Dean Aiken has held leadership positions within The Graduate School since 2008.
Additionally, she serves on several national and international committees including: the Audit Committee for the Council of Southern Graduate Schools, the Constitution and By-Laws Committee (chair) for Kappa Delta Pi International, and recently served on the CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award Committee in the Social Sciences committee for the National Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).
Dr. Aiken holds a bachelor’s degree in Intermediate Education with a mathematics concentration from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Education in Elementary Education from UNCP. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from UNC-Chapel Hill, with a sociology minor.
