A new semester at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges has begun, and with it some major changes in upper Bryn Mawr Administration.
On Tuesday, Bryn Mawr College President Wendy Cadge shared an email with the student body announcing upcoming events and changes to the community, including several new hires to the Senior Leadership Team. Among the new hires are Bryn Mawr Deans Tomiko Jenkins and Katie Krimmel, who will be filling in as Co-Deans of the Undergraduate in the Spring 2025 semester in Dean Karlene Burrell-McRae’s absence.
This is the first time the wider Bryn Mawr community has been made aware of Dean Karlene’s departure. As of now, no official announcement on the duration of her absence or the reason for it has been made, although her LinkedIn indicates that her position as Dean Undergraduate College ended in January 2025. Dean Karlene has also not sent communication announcing her departure. The Bi-Co News has reached out to various members of administration, including Dean Karlene, to confirm this change in leadership, as well the circumstances surrounding it. At time of writing, administration has not responded to our request for comment.
Dean Karlene held her position for three semesters prior to her sudden departure, during which her tenure was marked by controversy and contention. Burrell-McRae was widely criticized for her handling of student protests of the war in Gaza. She was also named in Hannah Epstein’s article discussing the widespread denial of student rights in sexual assault cases, having been accused of failing to inform a student of her right to appeal her Title IX case. In Spring of 2024, Dean Karlene Burrell-McRae, along with Dean Tomiko Jenkins, were responsible for instituting a series of immensely unpopular policies around WTF week, including banning open containers at public WTF events. Many have linked this ban to the spike in alcohol poisoning reports in WTF week 2024. Dean Karlene was also involved in the controversy surrounding the Dean’s Panels for pro-Palestine encampment organizers in Spring of 2024, during which upper administration broke with their own Honor Code policy 8 separate times.
It is yet to be seen whether this change in administration is permanent, or whether Jenkins and Krimmel will be replaced by either Burrell-McRae herself or another full-time Dean of the Undergraduate College.
