Diary of a Dean

This book tells the lifelong journey of Elizabeth Ahn Toupin from the sugarcane fields of Oahu to the elm-covered campus of Tufts University.

Born in Hawaii to Korean immigrants, Liz left the Islands in the waning days of WWII bound for Bennington College, where she received her B.A. Later, she added an M.A. in Industrial Relations from the University of Hawaii. She worked in Washington DC as an intelligence specialist in NATO affairs and as Communications Director for the late Senator D.K. Inouye of Hawaii. Later, she lived in suburban New York and wrote two best-selling cookbooks: The Entertaining Wife with Suzanne Rogers, and The Hawaii Cookbook with its introduction by James Michener.

In 1967 she found herself a single mother supporting three children. A chance meeting brought her to Tufts University in Medford, MA, where she lived on campus until she retired in 1992. As one of the country's first Asian American college deans, her career at Tufts spanned a tumultuous period of societal, educational and institutional upheaval.

Reviewers Comments

"Diary of a Dean is a great American story. In a frank, forthcoming voice, Elizabeth Ahn Toupin recounts her unlikely journey from a close-knit family of Korean emigres in Hawaii to a hot seat in the daily confrontation between East Coast academic establishment and the emerging countercultural forces of the late 1960's."
Michael Downing, author of The Chapel; Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time and Breakfast with Scot

"Elizabeth Ahn Toupin, in describing the problems faced by college deans in the 1970s has brought into sharp focus how recurrent campus problems are, and how little attention has been paid to ways of resolving tough issues that recur. As in so many areas, the lack of attention to history assures that it repeats itself. This book points a way to approaching discrimination and campus protests that will diminish the professed shock and surprise when issues arise again. It will serve well to help readers gain a longer perspective."
Antonia Chayes, Professor and former Dean, Tufts University

"Your account shows that in the course of that journey you had a tremendous impact on those with whom you interacted. During this period you encouraged and supported constructive student leadership, helped resolve incipient conflicts and insured that student voices were heard and respected."
Bernard W. Harleston, President, CCNY