Out of 36 candidates three men remain in competition for the next dean of the UNC School of Education - Leonard Abbeduto Bill McDiarmid and Jonathan Plucker.
The dean search committee hopes to make a recommendation to Provost Bernadette Gray-Little this week but so far there is no preferred candidate said Jean Folkerts dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the committee's chairwoman.
The search has lasted for 10 months since former dean Tom James accepted a position at Columbia University in April.
Jill Fitzgerald senior associate dean and professor of literacy in the School of Education has been serving as interim dean since James took his new position in July.
Committee considerations
The importance of junior faculty is a concern for both the candidates and the search committee.
Many professors in the education field will retire within the next few years but at the same time the student population is growing Folkerts said adding that hiring junior faculty is a way to prepare for this.
Also in selecting the next dean" the 13-member search committee considers the evaluation forms that staff and faculty filled out after each candidate's forum.
The committee also held a forum for each candidate to come discuss their ideas with the education school community earlier this semester.
Faculty responses
School of Education faculty and staff members were encouraged to attend the candidate forums.
""It is fair to say that we're looking for someone that is going to be a strong advocate for the mission that the UNC School of Education has" in terms of both research and practice connecting those two as seamlessly as possible and focusing on the problems that are in public education in North Carolina" said Daniel Huff, a professor with the school.
Huff also said he hopes the next dean will be both an external and internal advocate for the school, describing the next person as someone who will speak to the powers that be in South Building but also can talk effectively to the board of education and state officials.""
Professor Fenwick English also said he would like a dean that gets along with a variety of people.
""I'm looking for somebody who can reach out to different constituencies that make up the School of Education - superintendents" practitioners and particularly folks that work in the state legislation he said.
English added that all three candidates seem strong.
I think this person's got to come in and hit the ground running" so the School of Education can't be looking for a dean too long.""
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Leonard Abbeduto
Abbeduto emphasized the need for a demographically mixed school.
He spoke of a school that ""respects individual differences in talents"" interests and pathways to success.""The University of Wisconsin-Madison professor also mentioned on his Feb. 5 visit that an education school should focus on a wide range of strengths and not simply on one or two.
He has researched developmental disabilities in children and published many articles and books.
Bill McDiarmid
McDiarmid" a UNC alumnus is a professor at the University of Washington.
During his Feb. 1 visit McDiarmid spoke about improving early childhood education in North Carolina.
He also mentioned the need for a more diverse student and faculty makeup within the education school. He previously has worked with middle school math and science teachers.
McDiarmid has won several educator and research awards and published many books and articles.
Jonathan Plucker
Plucker the third candidate to present his ideas spoke about clarifying the school's purpose by concentrating on specific goals.
He mentioned Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and other campus groups as learning labs for the next teaching generation.
Faculty and staff retention was also an area he said would need attention in the next 10 years.
Plucker is a professor at Indiana University. His research covers education policy as well as talent development.
