Louise C. Wilkinson named new dean of Syracuse University’s School of Education

Louise C. Wilkinson named new dean of Syracuse University’s School of EducationMarch 24, 2003Nicci Brownnicbrown@syr.edu

Syracuse University has named Louise C. Wilkinson, an international expert in educational psychology and in language and literacy studies, as the new dean for its School of Education. Wilkinson will take up the post later this year. She is currently dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where she is a distinguished professor of educational psychology.

“SU is one of the nation’s great private universities,” Wilkinson says. “It has a distinguished history of commitment to excellence both in the professions and the liberal arts. The faculty of the School of Education is a community of scholars dedicated equally to the scholarship they produce, the students they teach and the communities they serve. The school is poised for leadership in the transformation of teaching, learning and schooling-all top priorities on the public agenda-and I am eagerly anticipating joining the faculty.”

Vice Chancellor and Provost Deborah Freund says Wilkinson’s strong leadership and scholarly excellence are a good fit for the School of Education. “Louise has long demonstrated her commitment to innovative, quality education. During her time at Rutgers she significantly increased sponsored research programs, from $1 million to $9 million annually and established and raised funds for the first two named and endowed chaired professorships: The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Chair in Education, and the Rose and Nicholas De Marzo Chair in Education. Her research on how we learn the English language, specifically the relationship between the spoken and written word, is world-class and I am sure she will lead the school, its faculty and its students to further success.”

Wilkinson’s extensive research on children’s language and literacy learning has been published in 120 articles, chapters and volumes. She has served on the editorial boards of major journals on literacy, language and education, on the advisory board of the National Reading Research Center, and on the governing boards of: NASULGC’s Commission for Human Resources and Social Change, USDOE’s Laboratory for Student Success, and New Brunswick Tomorrow. She is an elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association (1986), Fellow of the American Psychological Society (1990), Fellow of the American Association of Applied and Preventative Psychology (1995) and the Society of Sigma Xi.

Wilkinson has chaired and served on national review panels for the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, and as U.S. delegate to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization. She served as vice president of the American Educational Research Association (1990-92) and the association’s national program chair (1997).

During her 16 years at Rutgers, Wilkinson has been credited with helping to raise the research profile of the Graduate School of Education, while increasing external funding and other financial support. She increased school partnerships, outreach and continuing education programs both in quantity and impact throughout the state and globally. Wilkinson established the first five-year combined teacher education program in New Jersey, as well as the state’s first urban professional development school (with the New Brunswick Public Schools) and its first Ph.D. in education. She also established the National Institute for Early Education Research, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts ($22 million) and directed by Dr. W. Steven Barnett.

Wilkinson has taught at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the City University of New York Graduate Center. She was appointed honorary professor of education at Beijing Normal University (2001), and class agent (1970) and member of the Alumni Council of Oberlin College (2002).

Wilkinson holds a B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude with honors from Oberlin College, and both an Ed.M. and Ed.D. (Human Development) from Harvard University.

Emily Robertson, former chair of the Department of Cultural Foundations of Education, will continue her role as interim dean of the School of Education until Wilkinson’s appointment takes effect.