Lynn O’Brien Hallstein was named interim dean of the College of General Studies at Boston University. A faculty member for the past 20 years, Dr. O’Brien Hallstein serves as the assistant provost for general education and a professor of rhetoric. Earlier in her tenure, she was associate dean for faculty research and development and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning.
Dr. O’Brien Hallstein received her bachelor’s degree in speech communication from the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s degree in the same discipline from the University of North Carolina. She holds a Ph.D. in communication from Ohio State University.
Elizabeth Gordon has been named interim dean of the School of Health and Natural Sciences at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. Dr. Gordon is a full professor in the university’s department of environmental, geographic, and public health sciences. A scholar of geosciences and environmental studies, Dr. Gordon is the co-author of Climate Change in Human History (Bloomsbury Academic, 2022).
Dr. Gordon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Massachusetts.
Megan Dallianis was promoted to dean of students at Midwestern University’s campus in Downers Grove, Illinois. Dr. Dallianis first joined the university in 2024 as associate dean of students. Earlier, she was interim associate provost of student success and associate dean of interdisciplinary studies at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois.
Dr. Dallianis earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and her master’s degree in school counseling and guidance from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. She holds a doctorate in community college leadership from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Rosemarie Allen is the incoming dean of the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Dr. Allen, a professor of early childhood education, has been an MSU Denver faculty member for more than two decades. Her research interests are related to addressing the disproportionate number of children of color expelled and suspended from early childhood programs and how culturally responsive teaching can more effectively address the problem.
A graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Allen holds a master’s degree in education from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a doctorate in equity and leadership in education from the University of Colorado Denver.
Laura Galloway has been appointed dean of the Whitworth University School of Business in Spokane, Washington. Dr. Galloway comes to Whitworth from the University of Massachusetts Global, where she most recently served as associate vice chancellor for institutional curriculum, assessment, and academic policy. Previously, she was associate dean of the university’s School of Business and Professional Studies.
Dr. Galloway holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University in Orange, California. She earned a master’s degree in human development and a Ph.D. in organizational systems and development from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.
Jules Bruck was named dean of the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia. Most recently, Dr. Bruck served as director of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and chair of the department of landscape architecture at the University of Florida. Earlier, she was the founding director of the landscape architecture program at the University of Delaware. Her academic and design expertise centers on nature-based coastal resilience.
Dr. Bruck received her bachelor’s degree in landscape contracting and her master’s degree in horticulture from Pennsylvania State University. She holds a doctorate in agricultural education from Texas A&M University
Tala Awada has been selected to serve as interim dean and director of the Agricultural Research Division at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Awada, a professor of plant ecophysiology, has served as the division’s associate dean since 2015. Her research focuses on the sustainability, productivity, and resilience of agricultural, grassland, and forest ecosystems under climate variability and change and anthropogenic management.
Dr. Awada holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon, a master’s degree in environmental and renewable resources from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania in Greece, and a Ph.D. in physiological plant ecology from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
Aimee Edmondson has been named interim dean of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. A faculty member since 2008, Dr. Edmondson currently serves as associate dean and professor of media law and journalism history. She previously served as the associate director of graduate studies for the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She is the author of In Sullivan’s Shadow, The Use and Abuse of Libel Law During the Long Civil Rights Struggle (University of Massachusetts Press, 2019).
Dr. Edmondson is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree from the Manship School of Journalism. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Memphis in Tennessee and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.