Kimberly Holmes, PhD, MEd

Dr. Kimberly Holmes is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, overseeing the functional areas of admissions, academic advising, and student engagement in the college. Throughout her career, Kimberly has been committed to expanding access to higher education and improving outcomes for students from a range of backgrounds.  She has specific experience in college student retention initiatives, first year student transitions, academic advising, graduate student programming, assessment, and undergraduate research programs.

Prior to her role in the college, Dr. Holmes served as an Assistant Dean and Director of Retention and Student Success in Student Academic Affairs – Advising, Retention and Transitions at Mason. She was responsible for leading several cross-campus retention initiatives, including the Patriot Success survey and early intervention team, a cross-campus retention committee, and assessments linking academic advising to student success outcomes.  In partnership with the Office of Student Financial Aid, she created the Patriot’s Promise summer program to fund summer courses for in-state Pell grant recipients. She also led the team responsible for UNIV transition courses, and received a Curriculum Impact Grant to expand course offerings in the Spring semester.  Kimberly has a wide range of experiences in higher education settings working with multicultural students, summer bridge programs, residence life, teaching, and postsecondary education research. She has worked on several National Science Foundation-funded projects related to undergraduate degree completion and retention in broadening STEM programs.

Dr. Holmes’ research interests include exploring the experiences of women of color in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and expanding access to higher education for underrepresented groups, including students of color, first-generation college students, and students with financial need.

Degrees

• PhD, Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy, University of Maryland College Park
• MEd, Educational Leadership and Policy, The College of William & Mary
• BA, Latin American and Iberian Studies, University of Richmond