From Graduate Success to Spain - Farewell to Dean Urla

Jacqueline Urla has stepped down from her role as the Dean of the Graduate School, leaving behind an impactful legacy that has permanently shaped our community. Dean Urla has been a champion in enhancing the UMass graduate student experience, overseeing numerous transitions during her tenure. From the early days of January 2021 to a recent renovation and relocation of Graduate School staff out of and then back into Goodell, Dean Urla has approached each challenge as an opportunity to innovate and streamline the way students and the graduate program directors and staff receive support. 

Heidi Bauer-Clapp, an Associate Director in the Graduate School and the lead organizer behind our signature 3MT series, shared that Dean Urla possessed “the ideal combination of strategic thinking and willingness to roll up her sleeves and get things done.” As a leader, Dean Urla was directly involved in updating many forms and processes tied to the graduate experience. 

It was under her leadership that the Graduate School introduced a brand new admissions platform, Slate, meant to help streamline the process from application to matriculation. The transition to this system in 2023 was a large undertaking, but its impact in connecting graduate experiences from enrollment to fellowship applications will undoubtably paint a clearer picture for administrators, faculty, and students alike. 

One of the most impactful steps Dean Urla took toward achieving more of a presence for the graduate school was the development of the Graduate Program Director (GPD) meeting series. The series was inspired by and resembles the LEAD+ program designed for academic heads/chairs and associate deans. Designed as a replacement for a general one-time orientation with program leaders, the series offers GPDs a regular touchpoint with Graduate School team members and other important offices on campus such as the Office of Global Affairs. “It was modeled on what other areas already do with department chairs. The program directors are equally as important to the functioning of a graduate program, so we also need to have more contact with them.” 

“I had no idea when I became Dean that I would be responsible for designing a brand new Graduate School space,” Urla shared. As one of the central offices affected by Goodell’s 2023 to 2025 renovation, Dean Urla was a strong advocate for designing a space able to accommodate the many programs, resources, and services provided by the Graduate School. 

“Jackie increased our footprint, provided us with classrooms and meeting spaces adequate to run our programming inside our building instead of having to book rooms across campus,” Assistant Dean Shana Passonno shared. “The new space has made a tremendous impact.” 

“The renovation has given our nearly 5,000 on campus graduate students a beautiful space that says, ‘You and your success matter,’” Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Fouad Abd-El-Khalick shared back in April. “What used to be a challenging maze of hard-to-find offices is now a state-of-the-art interconnected suite of service suites, staff offices and event spaces provides graduate students with a deserving home on campus.”  

From leveling the playing field with grants, fellowships, and general student success resources, to helping her team navigate the activation of a new campus space in Goodell, Dean Urla has been a clear champion for graduate student success. Looking ahead, she hopes to take her impact abroad as she returns to research aligned with her academic interests and her personal history. 

Dean Urla has been named as one of the Madrid Institute for Advanced Study’s 25 international fellows for the coming year. As an MIAS fellow, Jacqueline will be in direct contact and community with a renowned group of researchers housed at Casa De Velazquez in the Complutense University of Madrid. Her fellowship will support an intimate ethnography focused on the intersection between her family’s history and the violence endured under Francisco Franco’s regime in the 20th century. You can learn more about her research in a recently published Inside UMass article. 

Elizabeth M. Jakob will serve as interim dean for the spring semester and summer. As always, if you have questions regarding ongoing support, resources, or services available to graduate students, please contact our office.