Karen Klomparens

Professional Bio:

Karen Klomparens has served as Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education at Michigan State University since 1997. She is a Professor of Plant Biology and is on leave as Director of MSU’s Center for Advanced Microscopy. With her graduate students, Dr. Klomparens published 60 peer-reviewed articles and 3 books on the topic of ultrastructural development of sporulating structures in fungi. Prior to becoming Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Welfare in 1994, Dr. Klomparens was on a Fulbright-supported sabbatical at Cambridge University. Dr. Klomparens’ passions as a Graduate Dean focus on completion issues for doctoral students, interdisciplinary graduate education, and inclusive excellence. Klomparens and her colleagues developed a FIPSE (U.S. Department of Education) and Hewlett Foundation-supported program on “Setting Expectations and Resolving Conflicts between Graduate Students and Faculty. ” The program uses interest-based approaches to resolving conflicts and has been used in a variety of settings inside and outside of academe for the past 9 years. Klomparens served a 2-year term as the Chair of the Big Ten (CIC) graduate deans group and is currently serving on the CGS Board of Directors and Executive Committee, the AGS Executive Committee, and the GRE Board of Directors.