Faculty

Profile

Mary R. Watson is Executive Dean emeritus of the Schools of Public Engagement. During her tenure as Executive Dean, she led the founding college of The New School which advances educational innovation and action-oriented learning in creative and community-engaged fields. The faculty, students, and staff of the Schools of Public Engagement embody the specific priorities of social, political, and inclusive education in the liberal arts, social sciences, and professional areas.

Mary Watson’s work at The New School includes co-leading a university-wide management, leadership, and entrepreneurship initiative, Management at The New School. During her time as Executive Dean, she has integrated university-wide projects and centers into the core academic offerings of the college. This includes advancing The New School’s university-wide Impact Entrepreneurship Initiative and The New School Collaboratory, an initiative on university-community partnerships. She has integrated the college’s Centers and Institutes into the curriculum, most notably the Vera List Center for Art and Politics and its global prize for artists in the social and political space and the Center for New York City Affairs' Institute for Transformative Mentoring. Her vision for the future of higher education appears in the chapter she authored, "Designing the University of the Future: A New Global Agenda for Higher Education,” in The New Global Agenda: Priorities, Practices, and Pathways for the International Community (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).

Beginning July 2025, following her return from academic leave, Dean Watson will take on a new leadership role in the Provost’s Office as the Associate Provost for Community Engagement and Special Advisor to the Provost. In this role, she will focus on raising the reputation and awareness of The New School as an equity-minded and community-engaged university through community partnerships, collaborative projects, and external funding opportunities.

Mary Watson's creative practice and scholarship on the human rights of workers, including the signature course at The New School, “Human Rights and Global Fashion,” reflect her commitment to a more just and equitable world. She has more than two decades of experience in higher education as a faculty member, chair, and dean, as well as broad experience in change leadership consulting for organizations and universities. Watson is a key leader worldwide in university networks advancing change in higher education, including the Critical Edge Alliance, the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative, and the Ashoka Changemaker campus initiative. She is a recipient of The New School's Distinguished University Teaching Award. Watson holds a PhD in Organization Studies from Vanderbilt University.

Degrees Held

PhD, Organization Studies, Vanderbilt University

Professional Affiliation

• Critical Edge Alliance
• Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative
• Ashoka Changemaker Campus Initiative

Recent Publications

"Designing the University of the Future: A New Global Agenda for Higher Education,” book chapter in The New Global Agenda: Priorities, Practices, and Pathways for the International Community (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018)

Awards And Honors

The New School's Distinguished University Teaching Award