Laney Graduate School Welcomes Prudence Oliver as Associate Dean for Academic Operations

The Laney Graduate School is pleased to announce the appointment of Prudence Julia Oliver as Associate Dean for Academic Operations. She will begin her role on Monday, March 16. 

Oliver brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education administration, with deep expertise in enrollment management, admissions operations, student lifecycle systems, and cross-unit governance. Known for her calm, analytical leadership style, she has built a career focused on strengthening academic infrastructure, aligning policy and practice, and supporting student success through thoughtful operational design. 

Most recently, Oliver has served as Senior Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. In that role, Oliver provided strategic leadership across admissions, enrollment management, student affairs, and career development. She co-chaired the school-wide Education Taskforce, helping shape recommendations that now guide the centralization of admissions and the launch of a unified advising model. In addition, she led the implementation and continued advancement of Slate, strengthening data integrity, enhancing consistency in academic decision-making, and improving cross-unit coordination across the graduate student lifecycle. 

Her work has strengthened data integrity, improved cross-unit reporting, and ensured alignment between enrollment practices and academic priorities. 

Oliver’s career also includes leadership roles at Harvard Divinity School and earlier service at Emory University in multicultural programs and financial aid, experiences that further shaped her commitment to inclusive excellence and institutional effectiveness.  

As Associate Dean for Academic Operations, will report to Kimberly Jacob Arriola, Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Dean of the Laney Graduate School. In this new role Oliver will oversee key areas of academic infrastructure, working in close partnership with faculty, program directors, and administrative colleagues to ensure clarity, consistency, and responsiveness across the graduate student lifecycle. 

Her appointment comes at an important moment for Laney Graduate School as it continues to strengthen systems, refine processes, and invest in the operational foundations that support high-quality, student-centered graduate education. 

Please join the Laney community in welcoming Prudence Oliver to her new role.