Fall 2019

Dear College of Education Alumni and Friends,

Change is constant. Sometimes it comes unexpectedly. Sometimes we plan for it. But how we react to that change can often mean the difference in whether we progress successfully, or fall backward.  

Little did I know when I joined the University of Northern Iowa College of Education as associate dean for undergraduate studies and student support services in July 2018 that I would be addressing you this fall as the interim dean.  

I am grateful to former Dean Gaëtane Jean-Marie, who bid us good-bye in August. I plan to work closely with the college leadership team and our talented faculty, staff and students to maintain the momentum that Dean Jean-Marie created. 

This is a crucial time in the history of UNI and the college. Change is all around us, whether that’s new perspectives on how we teach, how students want to learn, where they want to get an education or just the realities of demographics. It is clear to me and our leadership team that we have one direction to go: forward. 

We have a long, rich legacy of educating students for success. For today’s College of Education students, that can mean teaching, leading a nonprofit, training athletes or guiding youth in a community--nearby or halfway around the world. 

Stories in this issue of Premier magazine reinforce our commitment to:

• lead, through initiatives like the Institute for Educational Leadership; 
• engage, with programs like Teach Waterloo and Hip Hop Literacy Camp; 
• adapt, as two departments become one, and one school became two departments. 

We also share individual stories of accomplishment, from elementary education student and new NCAA wrestling national champion Drew Foster to the diverse paths taken by alumnae Becky Wolfe and Sarah Hanson. 

In my first year here, I was struck by the passion and commitment of our UNI family, including alumni, donors and friends. We greatly appreciate your continued support, and I look forward to meeting more of you over the next year! 

With warm wishes,

Colleen S. Mulholland, Ed.D.
Interim Dean 

Farewell to Dean Jean-Marie

After three years leading the UNI College of Education, Gaëtane Jean-Marie announced her departure for a new role as dean of the College of Education at Rowan University in her home state of New Jersey.

“This is an opportunity for me to return home and lead a college much like UNI, filled with great promise and potential,” says Jean-Marie. Like UNI, Rowan had its beginnings as a normal school to prepare teachers.

While dean at UNI, Jean-Marie oversaw structural and programmatic change, led efforts to enhance student support and advising services, and introduced sustained faculty and student support, including financial initiatives. She also worked to improve diversity among faculty, staff and students, and expanded research and engagement with efforts like the Bill and Linda Tubbs Teaching Connections, Carlton-Mellichamp Lecture Series and programming such as UNI Minority Educators for Today and Tomorrow. 

“I am proud of the accomplishments of the faculty, staff and students in the college, along with our alumni. They all truly embody the spirit of the university, that Panther Pride,” she says. 

Colleen S. Mulholland is serving as interim dean for the 2019-2020 academic year as UNI proceeds with a national search.