Camilla P. Benbow has been reappointed as dean of Peabody College of education and human development for a final three-year term, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver announced today. Benbow, who is Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, plans to retire at the end of her 30-year deanship on June 30, 2028, which will make her the longest serving dean in Peabody College history.
“As one of the world’s preeminent scholars of psychology and education, Dean Benbow has devoted her life to illuminating and empowering long-term human potential. The same is true of her historic deanship at Peabody College, where she has nurtured faculty, students and staff for decades to achieve unparalleled success and impact,” Raver said. “Peabody College is a cornerstone of Vanderbilt’s mission, and I am grateful that Dean Benbow is finishing her tenure true to her scholarly roots: steadily advancing human excellence with a rigorous vision for the future.”
Under Benbow’s leadership, Peabody maintains a strong reputation as one of the country’s foremost colleges of education and has been consistently recognized among the top graduate schools of education, focusing on research excellence, attracting millions of dollars in federal grants and housing several national research centers. In addition to reaching $51 million in annual research in fiscal year 2024, the college has raised $210.9 million through the Dare to Grow campaign (as of the publication of this feature). Benbow has also overseen the opening earlier this year of the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center, a transitional school providing intensive reading intervention and elementary instruction for students with dyslexia and other academic needs.
“Under Dean Benbow, Peabody has exemplified Vanderbilt’s commitment to transformative education and pathbreaking research,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “Peabody graduates make a real difference in the world. And the college’s research and innovation are helping to solve important challenges—from the Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center to partnerships with Nashville’s public schools to the leading-edge interdisciplinary collaborations made possible by our LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator. We are immensely proud of Peabody’s outstanding reputation and delighted that Dean Benbow will continue to set the college’s course.”
Peabody’s applicant pool continues to draw academically talented students and faculty from a wide variety of backgrounds. Students come from all 50 states and many countries, guided by a faculty that includes an impressive 24 endowed chairs, 16 American Educational Research Association fellows and 24 Association for Psychological Science fellows.
“I am gratified and honored to be able to serve Peabody College and Vanderbilt University through completion of a 30-year tenure,” Benbow said. “Over the next few years, I look forward to advancing outreach initiatives that benefit learners of every age; to further establishing new academic programs in areas like social innovation and entrepreneurship, educational technology and learning analytics; and to launching new certificate programs and professional learning opportunities.
“We also want to deepen our impact through equity-focused partnerships and engagement with communities from the local to the global. My personal goal is to leave Peabody to its next dean not only sound but poised for even greater success,” Benbow said.
Benbow’s influence also extends beyond Vanderbilt. A nationally recognized scholar of talent identification and development, she co-directs the renowned longitudinal Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, which examines the developmental trajectories of more than 5,000 individuals, now in its 51st year. Benbow has authored or co-authored numerous publications, contributing extensively to the fields of psychology and education. Her scholarly achievements have earned her various prestigious honors, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from the International Society for Intelligence Research and the MENSA Education and Research Foundation.
She has also served on the National Science Board, co-chaired national commissions on education standards and held leadership positions in several academic and professional organizations. Her commitment to improving educational outcomes for all students, especially those from underrepresented groups, has been a defining feature of her leadership style.
Benbow’s academic journey began at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees, followed by her doctor of education in 1981, graduating with distinction. Early in her career, she served as an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins before transitioning to Iowa State University. There, she rapidly advanced to become a full professor and department chair, later being named a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in 1995. She also served as interim dean of education during her tenure at Iowa State. Her scholarly accomplishments and leadership in the field eventually led her to Vanderbilt, where she has continued to leave an indelible mark on education policy and research.
Fast Facts about Vanderbilt Peabody College
Full-time Faculty: 200
Research Expenditures: $51 million in FY24
Degrees and Number of Programs:
| B.S. | 7 |
| Master’s (M.S., M.Ed., M.P.P.) | 20 |
| Ed.D. | 3 |
| Ph.D. | 6 |
Enrollment:
| Undergraduate | 1,453 |
| Professional (Master’s and Ed.D.) | 981 |
| Graduate (Ph.D.) | 201 |
Notable Outreach Centers:
- Collaborative for STEM Education and Outreach
- Next Steps at Vanderbilt University
- Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center
- The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt
- Susan Gray School
- Programs for Talented Youth
Research Partnerships and Centers
