Miriam Chaiken, dean of the William Conroy Honors College at New Mexico State University, will retire at the end of the academic year, NMSU Provost Carol Parker has announced.

Chaiken’s retirement is effective summer 2020. She was selected to head the Honors College in 2014.

In her six years as the second dean of the college, she has built on the legacy of her predecessor, William Eamon, and enhanced the visibility of the Honors College on campus. Today, there are more students participating in the college’s programming, including enrolling in courses, living in the freshmen residential community and graduating with the University Honors designation.

Chaiken has worked with her fellow deans, department heads and faculty across the university to build purposeful honors pathways in majors in every college, and helped foster greater buy-in to the honors opportunities across the institution.

Chaiken said that she has the best job at the university, but is looking forward to having more time to write after her retirement.

Chaiken earned her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University, and her master’s degree and Ph.D. from University of California in Santa Barbara. She came to NMSU in 2009 after more than 20 years teaching at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Before becoming the Honors College dean, Chaiken was a distinguished achievement professor and academic head of the NMSU Anthropology department.

Parker said a national search will be conducted to find Chaiken’s successor.