Cuddeback appointed dean of VCU School of Social Work
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that we have concluded our national search and have selected Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D. as dean of the VCU School of Social Work, effective immediately. Dr. Cuddeback has served as the school’s interim dean since July 2023. The VCU Board of Visitors will officially consider the appointment at its December meeting.
Dr. Cuddeback began his academic career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a research associate in 2004. There, he earned promotions eventually to full professor with tenure and served as the director of the university’s Community Outreach and Evaluation Center.
In the summer of 2021, Dr. Cuddeback joined the VCU School of Social Work as associate dean for research and professor. He became the interim associate dean for Faculty Affairs in the spring of 2022. Throughout his career, Dr. Cuddeback has proven to be a prolific scholar, an impactful researcher, and an effective administrator.
As the interim dean of the School of Social Work, Dr. Cuddeback has earned respect across both the campus and the community as a social work professional and has demonstrated dynamic skills as a collaborative leader. He is also revealing himself to be a visionary social work practitioner, understanding the forces shaping the future of social work, including that of technology like generative AI.
Dr. Cuddeback earned a bachelor’s degree from Furman University in Greenville, SC; two masters degrees from the University of South Florida; and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the search committee members for their focused work in the screening, and the co-chairs of the search committee, Susan Gooden, Ph.D., dean and professor, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, and Karen Chartier, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Social Work, for their leadership in this process.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Cuddeback for this appointment!
Best regards,
Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D.
Provost and senior vice president for academic affairs