As the fall semester begins, the College of Education and Health College’s Executive Leadership Team will reflect several role changes.

Kate Mamiseishvili, interim dean of the university, said, “We are delighted to be working with so many incredible leaders who have accepted new positions for the upcoming academic year and who continue to serve on our leadership teams.” We have an amazing team of people who care deeply about our students, faculty and staff, and we are all looking forward to the potential the WE CARE initiative will bring to our university.It will be a great year.”

Michael Hebel Appointed Interim Vice Dean for Research, Strategy and Outreach. An Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University, Hevel has been Head of the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders since 2017. Research and outreach efforts.

A university faculty member since 2012, Hevel also recently served as Interim Director of the Department of Education Reform.Appointed by Mamiseiishvili Patrick Wolf, Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and Endowed Chair of the 21st Century in School Selection of the Department of Educational Reform, to that position. Wolfe has taught at Columbia University and Georgetown University before joining the U of A in 2006. The Education Reform Authority’s mission is to promote educational and economic development with a focus on improving academic achievement in primary and secondary schools.

Name of Mamiseiishvili Christine Higgins To Hebel’s vacant Director role in the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders. An Associate Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision, Higgins joined the faculty in 2006. She has been her program coordinator since 2016. The RHRC divisions include Adult and Lifelong Learning, Communication Sciences and Disabilities, Counselor Education and Supervision, Education Statistics and Research Methods, Higher Education, and Human Resources and Workforce Development.

The university also has a new nursing school leader. Jesse KashidaAn internationally renowned nursing scientist, has been appointed the new chairman of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing and the George M. and Boyce W. Billingsley Endowed Chair. Casida joined her U of A from Johns Hopkins University.

Michelle Gray Last fall, I began serving as Interim Director of Health, Human Performance and Recreation.Gray later assumed the role Matthew Ganio Appointed Interim Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs. Gray is also a professor of exercise science, focusing on age-related diseases to improve the quality of life of older people. In this department, he offers a degree program in Exercise Science (also known as Kinesiology). She conducts public health, recreation and sports administration, athletic training, and K-12 physical education and health education.

Ganio joined the university faculty in 2011. Ganio oversees academic and student affairs in the role of Associate Dean, including facilitating changes and additions to degree planning, accreditation, and assessments. He also oversees the Boyer Center for Student Services and the Office for Teacher Education. He assists departments and faculty with evaluation, promotion, and tenure policies.

Lewatis McNeiljoined the university in 2020 and continues as Associate Dean of Administration and Diversity. Sherry Muir It is the 6th year leading the Department of Occupational Therapy, Ed Benguson He continues as head of the Curriculum and Education Department. Mary Margaret Hoy Cunningham Serves as Dean’s Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant.

This summer, Mamiseiishvili and the leadership team created the WE CARE initiative to outline the university’s priorities as the school year begins. WE CARE represents Arkansas’ wellness and education commitment to excellence. Priorities revolve around concrete ways faculty and staff can work together within the university and across the state to address complex challenges in education and health.

The College of Education and Health enrolled 4,474 undergraduates and 1,457 graduate students for the 2021-22 academic year, for a total of 5,931 students. The university continues to enroll the largest number of graduate students at the U of A and her two largest departments on campus, the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing and the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation. The university offers advanced degrees, professional development opportunities, and a learning community that serve the education and healthcare systems in Arkansas and beyond.