Janet Eckerson was named interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. An associate professor of modern languages, Dr. Eckerson currently serves as the college’s associate dean and chair for the master’s degree program in Spanish education. Her research focuses on language teaching methods, heritage language pedagogy, curriculum development, teacher professional learning, and educational policy impacting Latinx students.
Dr. Eckerson holds a doctorate in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Jennifer Schroeder has been appointed dean of the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Schroeder, a professor of psychology, has been serving as dean of the Graduate School at East Texas A&M University, where she has taught for more than two decades. She has served in several leadership roles throughout her tenure, including associate dean of the Graduate School and head of the department of psychology, counseling, and special education.
Dr. Schroeder received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and English and both her master’s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Melanie Landon-Hays is acting dean of the College of Education at Western Oregon University, where she has taught since 2013. Dr. Landon-Hays is a full professor of education and leadership who specializes in literacy. Earlier in her tenure with the university, she was coordinator for the master’s degree in teaching program. She has also served as the university’s director of general education and student transitions.
Dr. Landon-Hays is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in literacy from Idaho State University and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in adolescent literacy from Utah State University.
Mingyan Liu was named dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Liu, the T. C. Chang Professor of Engineering, has taught at the university since 2000. She has served in several leadership roles over the past two decades, including associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering and chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering. In her research, Dr. Liu studies optimal resource allocation, game theory, sequential decision theory, incentive design, and performance modeling and analysis.
Dr. Liu received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China. She holds a master’s degree in systems engineering and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland.
Christine Foreman has been selected to serve as interim dean of the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering at Montana State University. A Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Dr. Foreman has served as the college’s associate dean of student success for the past 13 years. Through her fieldwork in icy environments like Antarctica, Greenland, and the Juneau Icefields, Dr. Foreman aims to advance the understanding of how the environment controls the composition of microbial communities and how, in turn, those microbes regulate whole ecosystem processes such as nutrient and organic matter cycling.
Dr. Foreman earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, and her Ph.D. in biology and microbial ecology from the University of Toledo in Ohio. She completed postdoctoral research in polar ecology at Montana State University.
Tammy Webster is dean of the College of Allied Health Professions at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Previously, Dr. Webster served as executive associate dean and associate dean for academic affairs for allied health. She has also served as program director for the university’s radiography, computed tomography, and cardiovascular interventional technology programs.
Dr. Webster holds a bachelor’s degree in radiation science technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She also earned a master of public administration degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Annette O’Connor has been named dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. Dr. O’Connor has been serving as a professor of epidemiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. She has held several senior positions with the college, including senior associate dean for faculty and administrative affairs, interim associate dean for student engagement and success, department chair, and interim hospital director.
Dr. O’Connor holds a bachelor’s degree in veterinary science from the University of Sydney in Australia, a master’s degree in farm animal production from the University of Queensland in Australia, and a doctorate in ruminant health from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
Candace R. Kuby was appointed dean of the College of Education & Human Development at Georgia State University. Dr. Kuby comes to her new role from the University of Missouri, where she has been serving as associate provost for faculty affairs and a professor of learning, teaching, and curriculum. Previously, she was coordinator of the university’s early childhood education program, the inaugural director of qualitative inquiry, and chair of her department. Before her career in higher education, she taught preschool and elementary school in Japan, Alabama, and Indiana.
Dr. Kuby received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in early childhood education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She holds a doctorate in literacy, culture, and language education from Indiana University.