To the University Community,
Over the past several months, the University has been engaged in a search for a new director for the Avery Point campus. We are very grateful for the hard work of the search committee who evaluated a large pool of candidates for this multi-dimensional leadership role. Two very qualified candidates recently visited, and many faculty, staff, and students from the Avery Point campus and the University had the opportunity to meet them and hear their presentations. After careful consideration of the candidates and the thoughtful feedback we received from those who participated in their visits, we have decided not to make a permanent appointment at this time.
We have asked Dr. Joseph Madaus, Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability in the Neag School of Education, to serve as full-time interim director, and he has graciously agreed. Joe joined the UConn faculty in 1998. In 2008, he was named as a University Teaching Fellow, the highest teaching honor at the University of Connecticut. He was a Distinguished Research Fellow in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Mary Switzer Fellowship program in 2003-2004. He currently serves on the editorial board of nine journals. He is the Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on grants through the Office for Postsecondary Education, Office for Special Education Programs, the Institute of Education Sciences, and the State of Connecticut. Joe will begin as interim director on July 1, 2015.
We also wish to thank Dr. Marcelle “Marty” Wood for his service leading the Avery Point campus as interim director through this search process. As Assistant Dean in the School of Engineering for many years, Marty was a steadfast champion of UConn and its students, and was very involved in engineering programs at the Avery Point campus even after he retired from UConn. He brought that experience and wisdom to the directorship, and we are very grateful for his careful stewardship of the campus over the past year.
Please join us in thanking both Joe and Marty for their service, and in welcoming Joe to his new role as director.
Sincerely,
Mun Y. Choi
Provost
Sally M. Reis
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Amy K. Donahue
Vice Provost for Academic Operations
For more information, contact: Connie Boyd at connie.boyd@uconn.edu