Office of the Dean

ABOUT

Beering Hall at Purdue University College of Education

Office of the Dean

As the college’s chief academic and administrative officer, the Dean provides vision and leadership to ensure the College’s learning and research activities are of the highest levels of excellence. The Dean works closely with the College’s associate and assistant deans, department heads, faculty, staff and student leaders to foster a culture of academic excellence and inclusiveness.

The Dean provides leadership for interdisciplinary teacher education programs from the six colleges that collaborate on teacher preparation at Purdue University: Education, Science, Agriculture, Liberal Arts, Health and Human Sciences and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

The Dean works collaboratively with local and national educational leaders to advocate for equitable, accessible and high quality education for all students.

Phillip J. VanFossen
Interim Dean, and Ackerman Distinguished Professor

I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as the Interim Dean of the College of Education. I have been blessed to have a variety of experiences over my 25 years at Purdue, and I will draw on all of these in continuing to move the College forward as we leverage the momentum we have built with our Innovation Initiative (I²)–a cutting-edge educator-preparation program that has transformed our teacher education programs—as well as our other highly successful, nationally-ranked programs across both departments.

Indeed, I look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students across the entire College to support the outstanding work being done across all of our program areas, and to ensure our I²effort is successful.

I did not attend Purdue, but I bleed Old Gold and Black, and both of my daughters–Madison (ELED, 2017) and Lilly (ELED/SPED, 2021; MS in ABA, 2022)–graduated from the College of Education. That, in addition to my 25+ years here make me feel like I’m a Boilermaker. A Boilermaker educator.

Boilermaker educators are helping their students make giant leaps. Boilermaker educators are equipping their students to build a better world; Boilermaker educators have an ‘ever true’ commitment to lifelong learning.

I invite you to come to the College of Education to see for yourself what it means to be a Boilermaker educator!

Staff

Phillip J. VanFossen
Interim Dean, and Ackerman Distinguished Professor
Email: vanfoss@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-2367
Room: BRNG 3281J

Rita Neidlinger
Administrative Assistant to the Dean
Email: rneidlin@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-2336
Room: BRNG 3281K

Administrative Council

Ad Council is convened by the dean and is advisory to the dean; its purpose is to function as a representative and leadership-oriented body of both departments, academic services, and the College as a collective with the purpose of addressing college-level issues and initiatives along with proposing, discussing, revising, and determining directions in policies and procedures that impact personnel and students in the College. Members include the dean, associate deans, assistant dean, and department heads.

Meets: 2^nd Tuesday/month from 9:00 – 12:00

View Administrative Council

Janet Alsup
Department Head of Curriculum and Instruction

Jennifer Barce
Director of Academic Services/Assistant Dean for Teacher Education

Tara Johnson
Associate Dean for Learning

Kathy Obenchain
Associate Dean for I²

Ala Samarapungavan
Department Head of Educational Studies

Phil VanFossen
Interim Dean

Sunnie Watson
Assistant Dean for Diversity and Global Engagement

Wayne Wright
Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Programs and Faculty Development

Expanded Administrative Council

Expanded Ad Council is convened by the dean and is advisory to the dean; its purpose is to function as a representative body of key stakeholders within the College with the purpose of fostering collegial support between individual units and reinforcing an atmosphere of collaboration and awareness while reviewing activities, plans, and general policies and procedures that may impact the College. Members include the dean, associate deans, assistant dean, and department heads, Director and Assistant Director Financial Affairs, Director ELRC, Chief Development Officer, Director of Communication, Director Office of Information and Technology, Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Manager of Online Programs, Director Office of Diversity, Office of Graduate Studies, Diversity Fellow, and Faculty Affairs Committee representatives.

Meets 4^th Tuesday/month from 9:00 – 12:00

View Expanded Ad Council

Janet Alsup
Department Head of Curriculum and Instruction

Jennifer Barce
Assistant Dean for Teacher Education

Tara Johnson
Associate Dean for Learning

Kathy Obenchain
Associate Dean for I²

Ala Samarapungavan
Department Head of Educational Studies

Phil VanFossen
Interim Dean

Sunnie Watson
Assistant Dean for Diversity and Global Engagement

Wayne Wright
Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Programs and Faculty Development

Willie Burgess
Director, Evaluation and Learning Research Center

Robin Cunningham
Manager of Online Programs

Bob Evans
Director, Office of Information Technology

Amanda Goodwin Bowman
Director, Office of Graduate Studies

Selcen Guzey
Associate Department Head of Educational Studies

Marshay Jolly
Director of Financial Affairs

Tammy Maynard
Chief Development Officer

Amber Reed
Director of Assessment and Accreditation

Brittne Paramore
Director, Office of Student Success and Global Engagement

DeEtte Starr
Director of Communication

Kirke Willing
Senior Director of Financial Affairs

FAC Representatives:

Amanda Case
COE Faculty Affairs Committee co-chair

Adrie Koehler-Blair
COE Faculty Affairs Committee co-chair

Faculty Committee Assignments

View Faculty Committees Assignments

AREA PROMOTION AND TENURE COMMITTEE

Phil VanFossen, Chair

EDCI – Signe Kastberg

EDCI – Bill Watson

EDCI – Lynn Bryan

EDCI – Brenda Capobianco

EDCI – Victoria Lowell

EDST – Eric Deemer

EDST – Helen Patrick

EDST – Christine Kiracofe

EDST – Youli Mantzicopoulos

EDST – Alice Johnson

Department of Curriculum and Instruction – Janet Alsup, Head

Department of Educational Studies Head – Ala Samarapungavan, Head

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Tara Johnson, Associate Dean

Wayne Wright, Associate Dean

AWARDS COMMITTEE

EDCI – Stephanie Masta, Chair

EDCI – Muhsin Menekse

EDST – Nielsen Pereira

EDST – Christine Rienstra-Kiracofe

EX OFFICIO AND STUDENT MEMBERS

Wayne Wright, Associate Dean

EDCI – Jenna Gist, Graduate Student

EDST – Hernan Castillo-Hermosilla, Graduate Student

Staff – Amanda Goodwin Bowman

Staff – Ted Fondak

Administrative Support – Julie Correll

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

EDCI – Jill Newton, Chair

EDCI – Janine Duncan

EDCI – Laura Bofferding

EDST – Anne Traynor

EDST – Lisa Snodgrass

EDST – Jasmine Begeske

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Tara Johnson, Associate Dean

Amanda Goodwin Bowman, Dir. of OGS

Jackie Thomas-Miller, Dir. of Advising

Joy Garton Krueger, Asst. Dir. of OTL

Jodie Conner, Administrative Support

DIVERSITY AND EQUITY COMMITTEE

EDCI – Chrystal Johnson, Chair

EDCI – Ofelia Schepers

EDCI – Jake Burdick

EDST – Xiang Zhou

EDST – Rick Olenchak

EDST – Juliana Aguilar

EX OFFICIO AND STUDENT MEMBERS

EDCI – Carolina Cuesta Hincapie, Graduate Student

EDST – Yiheng (Megan) Zhou, Graduate Student

Jackie Thomas-Miller, Dir. of Academic Advising

Preethi Vaidyanathan, Academic Advisor

Brittne Paramore, Director, Office of Student Success & Global Engagement

Sunnie Watson, Assistant Dean for Diversity

FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

EDCI – Adrie Koehler, Chair

EDCI – Bill Watson

EDCI – Amber Neal-Stanley

EDCI – Virak Chan

EDST – Amanda Case, Co-chair

EDST – Xiang Zhou

EDST – Christine Kiracofe

EDST – Jennifer Smith

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Wayne Wright, Associate Dean

GRADE APPEALS COMMITTEE

Tara Johnson, Chair

EDCI – Brenda Sarmiento-Quezada

EDCI – Victoria Lowell

EDCI – Adrie Koehler

EDCI – Stephanie Oudghiri

EDST – Helen Patrick

EDST – Jennifer Smith

EDST – Eric Deemer

EDST – LaMonica Williams

Alternate EDCI – Marisa Exter

Alternate EDST – Anne Traynor

STUDENT MEMBERS

EDCI Grad: Muna Sapkota

EDCI Grad: Brantly McCord

EDST Grad: Julie Stuckey

EDST Grad: Haixia Zhao

Students will be used as a “pool” from which 2 students will be chosen for each appeal depending on whether it is an undergraduate or graduate appeal

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

EDCI – John Broome

EDCI – Virak Chan

EDCI – JoAnn Phillion

EDST – Eric Deemer, Chair

EDST – Jasmine Begeske

EDST – Yukiko Maeda

EX OFFICIO AND STUDENT MEMBERS

Sunnie Watson, Assistant Dean for Diversity

Erin Schultz, Academic Advisor

EDCI Grad: Emmanuel Babalola

EDST Grad: Jingyuan (Liz) Zhang

NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

EDCI – Nadine Dolby

EDCI – Luke Bennett

EDST – Yan Ping Xin

EDST – Christine Kiracofe

University Committees

View University Committees Assignments

UNIVERSITY FACULTY MEDIATION COMMITTEE

COE – Christine Kiracofe

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COUNCIL

COE – Stephanie Masta

UNIVERSITY GRIEVANCE HEARING COMMITTEE

EDCI – Anatoli Rapoport

EDST – Jasmine Begeske

At-Large – Stephanie Oudghiri

UNIVERSITY HONORS FACULTY GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

COE – Tara Johnson

UNIVERSITY P & T REPRESENTATIVES

COE – Helen Patrick

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INTEGRITY COMMITTEE

COE – Nadine Dolby

UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COUNCIL

COE – Jasmine Begeske

UNIVERSITY SENATE REPRESENTATIVES

EDCI – Trish Morita-Mullaney

EDST – Alice Johnson

At-Large – Stephanie Masta

Office of the Dean