Wiseman Named New Education Dean

	Donna L. Wiseman is the new dean of Maryland's College of Education. (Click on the photo for a hires version)

COLLEGE PARK , Md. - Donna L. Wiseman, the interim dean of the University of Maryland's College of Education for the past year, has been appointed dean, effective immediately.

Today's announcement was made by Nariman Farvardin, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, concluding a national search. He says Dean Wiseman will lead the College of Education in "developing programs in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that recognize the interdisciplinary nature of the world."

Farvardin adds that Dean Wiseman takes over her full-time position at "a critical point in the University's history, when strong leadership will be integral to the implementation of a bold strategic plan, which charts a course for Maryland to be one of the best universities in the world within ten years."

The College of Education has consistently been ranked as one of the top education programs in the nation, and has grown to become one of a handful of national leaders helping to set the agenda for K-16 education, and the growing preparation of teachers of cutting edge research. The college's Counseling and Personnel Services program has consistently been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the best such program in the nation.

Through its Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education (MIMAUE), the College of Education places special attention on creating a common understanding about how to help all children learn, addressing the national concern about the lack of quality and high performance of schools.

"I am very honored to be appointed to this role and look forward to working with everyone in the college and across the campus," said Wiseman. "It is a pleasure to be a part of the excitement and energy and the scholarly and creative atmosphere produced when our excellent faculty, students, and staff are engaged in teaching, learning, inquiry and service."

Dean Wiseman will work to provide a unified vision for the future, strengthen external relations and spearhead development efforts to help fund student scholarships, endowed chairs and research centers.

"Elevating the effectiveness of our schools compared to those in other nations, calls for the vision and leadership that Donna Wiseman will bring as the new dean of our College of Education," said Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr, president of the University of Maryland. "Issues from science and mathematics education to closing the 'achievement gap' are great challenges for the College, our university and the State."

Wiseman held various leadership positions at Northern Illinois University and Texas A&M University prior to joining the University of Maryland in 2001 as professor and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Education. She assumed the duties of Interim Dean in July 2007.

At Maryland she was a member of the University Committee on Diversity and was the College of Education 's equity officer. She served for two years as chair of the President's Commission on Women's Issues, and was also a member of the Vice President's Advisory Council for Curriculum and Courses and the University International Advisory Committee.

Maryland's College of Education is located in the Benjamin Building on campus.

Wiseman is involved with a number of professional organizations and agencies at the state and national level, and serves as chair of the publication committees for both the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She is a board member of AERA's Organization of Institutional Affiliates, which monitors federal policy in education, and Maryland 's Association of Teacher Education. She has also served on Maryland 's statewide K-16 committee.

A nationally recognized reading expert and a former public school teacher, Wiseman holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (Reading), from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a MSE in Curriculum and Instruction (Reading), from Arkansas State University. Over the past decade, she has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator for over $10 million in grants.

Her professional and scholarly interests include literacy development and instruction, school-university partnerships, teacher professional development, diversity in today's classrooms, and equitable access to education. She has taught courses in literacy development, reading and language arts teaching methods, children's literature, and teacher research and leadership.

Widely published, Dean Wiseman's early scholarship centered on children's reading and writing development and readers' responses to children's literature. Her recent scholarly efforts have focused on professional development for teachers who teach in diverse classrooms and connecting teacher education initiatives to public school student achievement. She is strongly committed to community outreach, especially in helping to ensure the success of inner city students, or those who may be struggling.

"The work of teaching, learning, and understanding human development is challenging and in constant flux," said Wiseman, "but I know the college will maintain and expand its considerable influence in the local, state, national and international arenas. I will work to build synergy around initiatives taking place within the college, focusing primarily on signature themes relating to diversity, globalization, policy and technology."

For more information, please contact:

Jenniffer Manning-Scherhaufer
Assistant Director, Communications
Office of College Advancement
College of Education
3115 Benjamin Building
University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742
Tel.: 301-405-0476
manning1@umd.edu

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