Diane Hall, the outgoing interim co-Dean of Students and Associate Dean of Students, is retiring on July 1, 2025.
Diane has worked at the University for nearly 40 years, the majority of that time in the graduate programs for the BSD. She worked as the Program Administrator for the Committee on Neurobiology from 1989-1998 and later as Administrative Director for the broader Neuroscience cluster. In 2010, she helped launch the newly reorganized Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA) with Vicky Prince, implementing new and expanded graduate student policies, realigning administrative structures, and directing changes in student reporting, funding, and communications.
Diane was promoted to the role of Associate Dean for OGPA in 2016, where she has since managed the overall administration, finance, and student affairs of 18 graduate programs. Under Diane’s leadership, the office manages the annual student application process; implements policies on registration, degree requirements, and graduation; and supports financial aid processes for more than 600 PhD, MD/PhD, and MS students annually. Last fall, Diane also assumed the role of Co-interim Dean of Students, working with David Kovar and other graduate education leaders to help design an optimal structure to unify operations for graduate and post-graduate education into a more cohesive structure.
Diane’s work has touched thousands of students throughout her career, and UChicago owes her an enormous debt of gratitude for her impact on the careers of a generation of scientists, physicians, and biomedical professionals. Her wisdom, experience and institutional knowledge about our educational programs will be sorely missed but her colleagues are excited for her as she begins a new chapter in life.
Please join us in thanking Diane for her incalculable contributions to UChicago, and in congratulating her on a much-deserved retirement.