John Blackshear
John Blackshear
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of StudentsJohn Blackshear was named dean of students in Student Affairs in June, 2020. He will continue to hold the post of associate vice provost of undergraduate education. In that role, he helps coordinate shared priorities between Student Affairs, the university’s academic deans and the Office of Undergraduate Education
Blackshear previously was dean of academic affairs for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, as well as senior associate dean of academic planning in Trinity College. Since 2001, he has served a wide range of essential support roles for students at Duke, including academic dean, supervising Duke’s low-income and first-generation scholarship and success programs, serving as clinical director of the Academic Resource Center, and working with Duke’s Office of Student Returns and Student Disabilities Access Office. He was Duke’s student ombudsperson from 2007-2015. Backshear also previously worked in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) from 2001-2007.
A clinical psychologist by training, Blackshear holds his doctorate in clinical psychology from Georgia State University, and a masters in community/clinical psychology as well as a B.S. in psychology from Florida A&M University. Blackshear has served as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke since 2009, and will continue teaching.
Blackshear also serves as the Faculty-In-Residence (FIR) in Trinity Residence Hall. The Blackshear family–including wife Kimberly Blackshear, Director of the Duke University’s Time Away Office, and their six children–have opened their home to first-year students in Trinity and Giles residence halls since 2016.