School of Education dean to step down in January

The search is on for a new dean in the UNC School of Education. Bill McDiarmid, the school’s current dean, plans to step down and return to the school’s faculty.

“I actually am looking forward to returning to my first loves, which were teaching and research,” he said.

During his seven years as dean, McDiarmid said he was able to make many improvements to the School of Education, like the addition of an education minor and a major in child development and family studies, which will be introduced next fall.

“I think probably what gives me the greatest pleasure is we have a whole new group of new faculty, assistant professors who are both very diverse and who are already proving to be exceptional scholars,” he said.

McDiarmid said he hopes the new dean will continue to support these faculty and programs.

Gary Marchionini, head of the search committee and dean of the School of Information and Library Science, said he has high hopes for the new dean.

“What we’re looking for — and this is really driven by the faculty and students in the school — is a leader who is going to help manage the school, which every dean has to do, but also shape a vision for how Carolina leads in the state and the world in solving education and learning challenges,” he said.

Given the challenges education faces, Marchionini said he hopes the new dean will be a leader within the school and in the state.

“So we’re looking for a dynamic leader who is a bit of a superhero,” he said.

Ron Strauss, executive vice provost and chief international officer, convened the search committee. He said it is working with the search firm Witt/Kieffer and following the standard process for selecting a new dean.

“Their first job is to define what they’re looking for with a search, the kind of person they want, and then once they’ve done that, in collaboration with the search firm, is to attract and advertise, but also reach out to many people and try to attract a diverse and interesting group of applicants,” he said.

Strauss said that after a series of interviews, the committee will present three or four candidates to the University’s provost and chancellor.

McDiarmid said he will step down Jan. 1. The committee hopes to have a new dean by July 1.

“I feel very good about the folks who are in place both in the administration and the faculty providing leadership, so I’m not worried at all about the future of the school. It’s in very good hands, whoever comes in as dean,” he said.

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