McQueen appointed new College of Education dean
Janel Shoun |
McQueen, who holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s from Vanderbilt University, will oversee the newly structured College of Education, which will no longer house the four professional studies programs: communication, family and consumer sciences, social work and sociology, and kinesiology.
“I am proud that having looked across the country, one of our own was deemed uniquely qualified for this position. I am confident that Dr. McQueen will lead this college to new heights. Lipscomb has always been known for the teachers we turn out, and I know Dr. McQueen will build on this reputation,” said Lipscomb Provost Craig Bledsoe in his announcement.
McQueen began her faculty position at Lipscomb in 2001. As a specialist in reading and curriculum development, she has made presentations throughout the nation for the International Reading Association, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is also sought-after locally by many schools and school districts for presentations on a variety of educational topics.
McQueen was promoted to associate professor and awarded an Outstanding Teacher Award in spring 2008. Before coming to Lipscomb, she had previously taught as an adjunct at Vanderbilt, as an assistant instructor and supervisor of student teachers at the University of Texas at Austin, and in K-12 schools in Texas and Nashville.
“Middle Tennessee schools already know that we produce some of the best teachers in the state. I will work to build on that and make Lipscomb’s College of Education the most accessible university in our local educational system,” McQueen said. “My goal is to become the college that local educators immediately turn to when they need support.
“I want our graduates to not only be great teachers, but to be teacher leaders who are transforming their schools and serving as model teachers in their school district.”
The dean’s position came open in February when Mike Hammond, dean for five years, announced he was stepping down from the position.
The three of the four professional studies departments will be folded into the College of Arts and Humanities to create the new College of Liberal Arts. Kinesiology will be folded into the existing College of Natural and Applied Sciences.
By creating a college focused solely on education, Lipscomb hopes to maximize the growth the education department has seen in the past three years, said Bledsoe. With the addition of two master’s programs, the number of masters-level graduates in education jumped from 10 or less in previous years to 26 in May 2007 and to 56 in May 2008.
The College of Education is currently working to add additional on-line options for study and to expand the numbers in an undergraduate adult degree program in K-6 education, McQueen said. The department averages about 220 students in undergraduate programs, 140 in the master’s of education program and 160 in the master’s of arts in teaching programs.