Rachel Schreiber, the Executive Dean of Parsons School of Design, announced that she will step down from her role in July 2022. Dr. Renée T. White, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, sent the announcement in an email on January 27.
Schreiber, who joined as an Executive Dean at Parsons in 2019, received a vote of no confidence in November 2021, where 117 out of 135 Parsons faculty and staff voted to oust Schreiber. This motion was passed a day after the resignation of the Dean of Academic Planning, Nadine Bourgeois, a New School Employee of 35 years. Staff felt that Schreiber forced Bourgeois’ resignation, which led to the vote taking place. There has not been a vote of no confidence amongst administrative staff at The New School since 2008 in the instance of then-President Bob Kerrey.
At the time of the vote last year, staff at Parsons circulated an overwhelmingly ratified letter which cited Schreiber’s treatment of Bourgeois as an example of “poorly-informed, top-down leadership”. The letter also pointed towards “an ongoing accumulation of damaging administrative actions that our community deems unacceptable, and a more general failure of leadership, together have produced disruptive, unstable, and untenable working conditions at our college.”
Speaking for the university at the time, Amy Malsin, assistant vice president for communications and public affairs, told the New School Free Press that “the Parsons Board of Governors and university leadership support the Executive Dean but are committed to listening to the community and working with them to chart a positive path forward together for Parsons.”
The email from Dr. Renée T. White states that Schreiber’s legacy includes her support of The Office of Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice at The New School. During her tenure, Schreiber launched the Parsons Committee for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Since 2019, Schreiber has also been instrumental in the development of the Board of Governors at Parsons and ensured the addition of a “number of prominent, diverse, and highly valued new board members,” according to the email from Provost White.
During her time at Parsons, Schreiber co-founded the BIPOC Academic Leadership Institute in 2021 as part of her role as a co-chair at the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design. This program supports BIPOC faculty and staff leaders who wish to pursue senior and executive leadership roles. Schreiber also participated in philanthropic efforts at the university and has raised money to support Parsons students, according to the email from Provost White.
Rachel Schreiber will continue in her role as Executive Dean until the summer. Parsons’ search for a new Executive Dean is now underway. After a sabbatical year, Schreiber will return to Parsons as a University Professor in the Faculty of Art, Media, and Cultural History in 2023.