Alexis Andres

Dean of Yeh College

A recovering perfectionist, Alexis became interested in the study of perfectionism and effortless perfection while a graduate student at the University of Virginia (UVA). Inspired by Duke University's then president Nan Keohane's commissioning of the Women's Initiative, a campus-wide examination of the female experience at Duke, Alexis conducted her own doctoral research on female undergraduate students and the pursuit of effortless perfection.  

Alexis completed her Ph.D. in 2008 (her first UVA degree was as an undergraduate) and worked as an assistant dean in the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at UVA before moving to Princeton in 2011. Alexis has served as the director of student life in Butler College, and as the dean of Whitman College. She is energized by the chance to work with Princeton students on a daily basis and is thrilled to be joining the students and staff of Yeh College in its opening year. In her free time, Alexis enjoys traveling, horseback riding, and reading.

Garrett Meggs

Assistant Dean for Student Life at New College West

Garrett is very excited to be working with the Princeton Perspective Project. Garrett is an Enneagram Type 1, so he has spent a lot of time thinking about perfectionism and failure. His own experience as an undergrad taught him the importance in asking for help and letting go of unrealistic expectations. He is interested in helping students embrace the challenges and risks associated with personal and academic growth.

Garrett completed his M.S. in Counseling at Lipscomb University, where he focused on enhancing student self-efficacy and academic success. He is currently a doctoral student in Higher Education Administration at The University of Memphis, and his research interests include student resilience and restorative practices. In his free time, Garrett enjoys musical theater, traveling, cooking, knitting, and spending time with friends. He is also a big sports fan and is a fellow for the men’s lacrosse team. Garrett loves to meet new students, so feel free to stop by his office to say hi!

Laura Murray

Assistant Director of Learning Programs, McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning 

Laura joined the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning as assistant director of learning programs, where she will focus on new initiatives and programming to support graduate students across the university. For the past four years, she has been an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where she completed a Ph.D. in Human Development. Laura’s scholarly and applied work explores the potential of educational institutions to promote young adult optimal development. That said, she is particularly interested in the social, emotional, and academic identity development of students; mental health within university contexts; and transitions to and through higher education for under-represented and first-generation students, as well as for students with disabilities. Prior to her work in education, Laura was an independent documentary filmmaker for over ten years, producing social issue films for public television. She has a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. from Stanford University, and an M.S Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.