Dr. Junghee Lee, Interim Dean of the PSU School of Social Work
Portland State University is pleased to announce the appointment of Junghee Lee as the interim dean of the School of Social Work, effective July 1.
Lee joined PSU in 2006 as an assistant professor of Social Work, after receiving her Ph.D. and master's degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. She has since made significant contributions to the PSU’s academic community in interdisciplinary coordination and international partnerships.
In addition to her position as a professor of Social Work, Lee is a senior fellow at the Center for Public Service in the Hatfield School of Government and she holds positions as associate faculty in both the Executive Master of Public Administration program and the Institute for Asian Studies. She was the director of the Ph.D. program for the School of Social Work from 2015 to 2023.
PSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Susan Jeffords expressed confidence in the appointment, stating, “Dr. Lee brings a deep knowledge of the School of Social Work and of PSU to this leadership role. She exemplifies PSU’s commitment to excellent research that serves communities, and her experience in teaching across colleges shows her abilities to work collaboratively and interdisciplinarily.”
“I am honored to be the Interim Dean of the School of Social Work during this challenging and exciting time,” Lee said. “In the upcoming academic year our school will enjoy enrollment growth in our MSW and BSW programs, while also celebrating the 30th anniversary of our doctoral program. Our Child, Youth and Family Studies program will be enhancing their curriculum to provide a flexible path that centers an interdisciplinary understanding of families.”
In her new position, Lee is committed to prioritizing student success and interdisciplinary collaboration, along with recognizing the vital role of the faculty and staff.
“The collective well-being of our faculty and staff is also one of my highest priorities, since their welfare is intertwined with student success,” she said.
Lee is first-generation Korean-American, born and raised in Seoul, before emigrating to the United States. She has spent countless hours fostering relationships between PSU and Korean organizations that offer global engagement and training to Portland State students. Notably, she established a groundbreaking three-year partnership with the Seoul Welfare Foundation that allowed PSU Master’s of Social Work and Ph.D. students to study Seoul’s welfare programs and delivery systems.
As Lee assumes her new leadership role, she said she finds inspiration in the vision of incoming PSU President Ann Cudd’s commitment to being present, attentive and engaged with the PSU community. She draws on the wisdom of her grandfather who shared with her a valuable lesson: “You have two eyes, two ears, two arms, and two legs. But you only have one mouth, because you need to see, listen, and work more than you need to talk.”
Lee steps into the interim dean role following the departure of Jose Coll, who has served as the dean of the School of Social Work since 2019. Coll recently joined Western Oregon University as its new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.