Remembering Professor Jean Lau Chin, EdD

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, Adelphi lost an accomplished and beloved member of our community. Jean Lau Chin, EdD, was a professor of psychology, a scholar, former dean, researcher, author, educator, feminist mentor, Fulbright Scholar and Distinguished Chair, and an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Dr. Chin passed away just 17 days after her husband, both of complications caused by COVID-19.

Dr. Chin came to Adelphi in 2006. From 2006 to 2010 she was dean of the Gordon F. Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies (now the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology). Dr. Chin also served as chair of the University Diversity Committee for several years and remained an active member.

Dr. Chin was widely known in her field as an authority on diversity leadership, culturally competent mental health services, women’s issues and feminism.

She was a Fulbright Scholar in 2018, spending half the year studying global and diverse leadership as Distinguished Chair at the University of Sydney in Australia. Six years earlier, she was a Fulbright Specialist at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she studied women and leadership and developed a gender studies degree at the university.

She held leadership roles in multiple organizations.

Dr. Chin wrote about the coronavirus—and the mistreatment of people of Asian descent it caused—in “Global & Culturally Diverse Leadership in the 21st Century: Crisis Leadership During the Coronavirus Pandemic and Xenophobia.” Published in the International Leadership Association’s ILA Interface on March 26, 2020, it was her last work to appear during her lifetime.

CBS New York featured Dr. Chin and her husband, Gene Chin, in its series on people lost in the pandemic, describing Dr. Chin as “a powerhouse in the world of psychology and an international voice on issues including global leadership, diversity and women’s issues.”

Adelphi Remembers Dr. Jean Lau Chin

President Christine M. Riordan and members of Adelphi University leadership shared their thoughts via email with the campus community. Below are some of their remembrances and praise for Dr. Chin.

“A champion of acceptance and understanding, Dr. Chin’s legacy will serve as an inspiration to our community to continue to honor her call for compassion as we share in the loss of a great leader, mentor and educator.”—President Christine M. Riordan

“Jean Chin, a deeply committed professor, doctoral thesis supervisor and mentor, was adored by students and faculty alike. Well-known for her research and community activism in support of culturally competent mental health services, women’s issues and Asian American mental health, she was highly respected in many circles. Her passing is a major loss for the Derner School and our University.”—Steve Everett, provost and executive vice president

“Jean devoted her heart and soul to the themes of women in leadership and of diversity inequities. Her loss was and will be felt greatly in the field at large, as she had a very significant national presence. At Derner, she’ll be especially remembered for her collaborative spirit as a colleague and mentor.”—J. Christopher Muran, PhD, associate dean and professor, Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology

“We are all better for having known Dr. Jean Lau Chin. Her wisdom, warmth and genuineness will be missed. She exemplifies what it means to be a productive scholar, innovative teacher, supportive mentor and an effective leader. She strongly believed that the profession of psychology could be improved through the inclusion of diverse voices and worked tirelessly to achieve that goal.” —Carolyn M. Springer, PhD, associate professor, Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology

“Dr. Jean Lau Chin was an inspiration to all of us. She will be greatly missed, but her sterling legacy will continue.” —Perry Greene, PhD, former vice president for diversity and inclusion; Jacqueline Jones LaMon, JD, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion

Dr. Chin’s colleagues at the American Psychological Association (APA) created a memorial web page in her honor where we are welcome to submit notes of condolence.