Dear Members of the Fordham University Community,
Father McShane and I are writing to inform you that Dr. James J. Hennessy will step down from his role as dean of the Graduate School of Education at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year and return to the faculty. It is with profound gratitude that we acknowledge Jim’s distinguished service to Fordham University as a member of the faculty since 1974 and dean of the Graduate School of Education for the past ten years.
As a nationally recognized scholar and educator, Jim Hennessy has exercised visionary and innovative leadership in graduate higher education. The Graduate School of Education’s prominence and profile of excellence has risen significantly under Jim’s collaborative leadership. He has guided GSE faculty and administrators in implementing a comprehensive enrollment strategy and curricular redesign. New programs including the doctoral degree in Contemporary Learning and Interdisciplinary Research and the Accelerated Master’s Program in Educational Leadership address the needs of a rapidly changing profession. Jim has actively promoted the work of GSE’s centers and institutes to build vibrant academic partnerships. Fordham has become the education school of first choice by city, regional, and state agencies and associations. An articulate advocate for the professional preparation of teachers, Jim has also served in a very visible leadership role as president of the Education Deans Conference of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
With a very solid foundation on which to build, Father McShane and I are pleased to announce the formation of a search committee to identify a new dean for the Graduate School of Education. Michael M. Martin, distinguished professor of Law and dean of the School of Law, will chair the group, and William F. Baker, Claudio Aquaviva Chair and journalist in residence in the Graduate School of Education will serve as vice chair. The following members of the University community will serve with them:
CHAIR:
Michael M. Martin, Distinguished Professor of Law and Dean of the School of Law
VICE CHAIR:
William F. Baker, Claudio Aquaviva Chair and Journalist in Residence, Graduate School of Education
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
John A. Craven, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, Graduate School of Education
Margo A. Jackson, Associate Professor, Psychological and Educational Services, Graduate School of Education
Carlos McCray, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy, Graduate School of Education
Valerie Rowe, Graduate School of Education ’96
Kristen H. Turner, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Teaching, Graduate School of Education
Grace Vernon, Professor, Natural Sciences
Akane Zusho, Associate Professor, Psychological and Educational Services, Graduate School of Education
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Martin and Bill Baker for their willingness to guide the work of the search committee, and we are grateful to all the members of the group for sharing their time and expertise in undertaking this important task on behalf of the University. The committee will be assisted by Jean A. Dowdall, Ph.D., Robin Mamlet, and the services of the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer. Nominations for the deanship of the Graduate School of Education are welcome and may be directed to the attention of:
Michael M. Martin, Chair
Search Committee for the Dean of the Graduate School of Education
Fordham School of Law
140W 62nd St.
New York, NY 10023
Please join us in extending congratulations and best wishes to Jim Hennessy as he enters the final year of his deanship of the Graduate School of Education in 2014-2015.
Stephen
