Ralph Keen will step down as dean of the Honors College at the University of Illinois Chicago on August 16, 2026, after more than a decade in the role. Keen has served as dean for ten years, following a year as interim dean, making him the longest-serving leader since the college was established nearly fifty years ago.
During his tenure, Keen oversaw growth in enrollment and expanded course offerings and programming. He also led efforts to broaden recruitment to admit diverse groups of high-achieving students. Changes implemented under his leadership include raising credit requirements for graduation with honors, introducing a junior-year course to prepare students for research and professional schools, and promoting civic engagement and leadership opportunities across campus. The Honors College now offers nearly 100 courses annually and has over 700 faculty fellows.
Keen is a member of the steering committee of HSI-Honors, a consortium of Honors colleges at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. He also serves as an inaugural member of the editorial board for Pädagogische Diskurse, published by the Görres Gesellschaft in Bonn, Germany, where he is currently the only American member. Additionally, Keen has been elected president of both the American Society of Church History and the American Catholic Historical Association.
He has received recognition for his teaching, including being named Honors College Instructor of the Year in 2022 and receiving the Award for Distinguished Teaching from the American Catholic Historical Association in 2023. Keen regularly teaches courses in the Honors College and serves as a faculty fellow for students who have advanced to graduate programs nationwide. He is also editor of Catholic Christendom 1300-1700, published by Brill in the Netherlands, and continues active research with a forthcoming monograph on late-medieval theories of causation.
An internal search for Keen’s successor will be chaired by David Eddington, dean of the Graduate College. The goal is to conclude this search before spring 2026 ends.
"Please join me in thanking Dean Keen for his remarkable service to the Honors College over the last 10 years and in wishing him well as he prepares for his return to the faculty."