Fields to depart for new role at Harris-Stowe

Harvey Fields, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named the inaugural dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Harris-Stowe State University.

In his new role, Fields will strengthen existing academic departments and launch new programs to help Harris-Stowe prepare students for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. STEM is the fastest-growing degree field at Harris-Stowe, St. Louis’ only historically Black university. 

“Dr. Fields is a visionary who has demonstrated his ability to positively impact scholars. His unwavering dedication to helping under-resourced students achieve success syncs perfectly with HSSU’s core values,” HSSU President LaTonia Collins Smith said.

For two decades, Fields has led programs and developed initiatives to support Washington University’s growing population of first-generation and lower-income students. In 2014, he chaired the university’s advisory group on socioeconomic diversity, which identified barriers to student success and recommended strategies to provide every student, as Fields put it, “a true WashU experience.” In 2013, Fields received the Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award. Fields also is an alumnus, having earned his PhD in chemistry from Arts & Sciences in 2004. 

“Dr. Harvey Fields leaves behind an important legacy at WashU,” said Mark Kamimura-Jimenez, associate vice chancellor and dean of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. “His innovative ability to design systems that facilitate student success for students in STEM and beyond has forever shifted the trajectory of first-generation and limited-income students. I am excited that students and colleagues at Harris-Stowe State University will have the opportunity to experience the impact Dr. Fields has on a university and the relationships that will last a lifetime.”