Ethriam Brammer
Rackham Graduate School is thrilled to announce the hiring of Ethriam Brammer as assistant dean. In his role, Brammer will lead the implementation and ongoing work of the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion plan by working collaboratively with all members of the Rackham community. He will engage with Rackham students and graduate student organizations to improve the experience of all graduate students at U-M, in addition to working with Rackham staff on DEI initiatives and pursuing faculty engagement to increase partnerships with Rackham’s graduate programs.
Brammer comes to U-M from Eastern Michigan University, where he was the founding director of the federal TRIO Student Support Services Program, a position he has held since 2016. In 2016, he was also appointed as a King-Chávez-Parks Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wayne State University.
“The thoughtful engagement with diverse perspectives and experiences is essential to Rackham’s academic mission,” says Rackham Interim Dean Michael J. Solomon. “I am excited for Dr. Brammer to bring his knowledge and innovative approaches to support inclusive excellence at Rackham.”
Some of Brammer’s specific responsibilities in this role include the following:
- Develop innovative strategies, initiatives, and activities to enhance DEI in Rackham with regard to climate, recruitment, admissions, hiring, mentoring, scholarship, and professional development.
- Provide strategic vision, leadership, and guidance to meet the changing demands of a highly intellectual and diverse student body.
- Consult and collaborate with graduate program chairs, directors, and faculty to develop and implement academic, programmatic, and DEI activities.
The thoughtful engagement with diverse perspectives and experiences is essential to Rackham’s academic mission. Michael J. Solomon, Interim Dean
“By enhancing equity and inclusion at Rackham Graduate School,” Brammer says, “we not only have the opportunity to enrich the educational experience here, at the University of Michigan, but also to contribute to the diversity of future professionals across the country.”
Brammer earned his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego in 1994; his M.F.A. from San Francisco State University in 1996; and his Ph.D. from Wayne State University in 2011. From 2007 to 2011, he served as the assistant director of the Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies at Wayne State University, and from 2011 to 2016 as the associate director of Wayne State’s Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies.
He has also served as an instructor at the University of Detroit Mercy, Marygrove College, and Wayne State University, and as a lecturer at Eastern Michigan. Since 2007, he has served as the principal investigator on several grants, including grants from the U.S. Department of Education, DTE Energy Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Brammer is the author of two bilingual children’s books and the translator of several works of pre-1959 U.S. Latino/a literature, and he has co-authored several refereed journal articles and scholarly presentations in the field of student success.
His appointment is effective February 23.