Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that James D. Anderson will be the next dean of the College of Education effective August 16, 2017, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Professor Anderson has served as the interim dean for the past academic year.

Professor Anderson has held key leadership roles during his tenure at Illinois. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, an Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor of Education, and a Center for Advanced Studies professor. He has served as the head of the department of education policy, organization and leadership; the executive associate dean for the College of Education; and as the University of Illinois Presidential Fellow in the 2015-16 academic year. He is an internationally recognized and groundbreaking scholar in the history of African-American education and school achievement in the U.S. A graduate of the college and a member of the faculty since 1974, Professor Anderson is uniquely qualified to lead the College of Education here at Illinois.

After the conclusion of a national search for this position, I consulted with the search committee, the College of Education executive committee and Chancellor Robert Jones, and we agreed that the best person for the job was already in it. I thank the search committee, chaired by School of Social Work Dean Wynne Korr, for their work on the search.

Professor Anderson agreed to serve in the dean position for a three-year appointment.

I appreciate his willingness to accept this new responsibility and to serve as the next dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Please join me in congratulating Professor Anderson.

John P. Wilkin
Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost