Florida State University has announced the appointment of Carrie Zebrowsky Cooper as the new dean of University Libraries. Cooper, who is currently the dean of university libraries at William & Mary, will assume her position at FSU in January.
Cooper is an alumna of Florida State University, holding a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from FSU. She also earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Doctor of Education in Educational Planning, Policy and Leadership from William & Mary. Since 2014, she has served on FSU’s University Libraries Advancement Board.
“Florida State is getting a remarkable leader in Carrie Cooper,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark. “Her career reflects a deep commitment to students, faculty and the community, and she brings the vision and experience to advance our Libraries as a center for learning, discovery and innovation. We’re especially proud to welcome an alumna back home to lead one of the university’s most important academic resources.”
During her tenure at William & Mary since 2011, Cooper managed strategic planning, fundraising, and operations for the Earl Gregg Swem Library. She led a staff of 70 people and was responsible for a $12 million annual budget. Her leadership saw the libraries raise over $22 million in philanthropic support, expand digital collections, launch an institutional repository, and complete significant renovations to learning and media spaces. Prior to that role, she was dean of libraries at Eastern Kentucky University where she established the Studio for Academic Creativity.
Katie McCormick has been serving as interim dean since May after Gale Etschmaier retired. McCormick has led Special Collections and Archives at FSU since 2011.
“I’m honored to welcome Carrie to FSU,” McCormick said. “She brings deep knowledge of libraries, a strong focus on student success and research excellence and a real love for this community. I’ll continue as interim dean until her arrival and work closely with her to ensure a smooth transition.”
Cooper expressed enthusiasm about returning to FSU: “Being near family and working at my undergraduate alma mater is a dream come true,” Cooper said. “I’m grateful for my years at William & Mary and excited to partner with FSU’s faculty, students and staff to advance learning, research and access to knowledge.”
