As the new Dean of the SEHD, I have barely had time to fully reflect on my first 9 months serving the incredible and intrepid students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends, community partners and parents who comprise our ever expanding network of constituents. Know that I appreciate you…those who are looking to us to innovate and lead the fields we represent – in education, psychology, and kinesiology – across the four areas for which we are strong and will strategically focus our efforts; interdisciplinary inquiry, community engagement, the science of learning and equity and inclusion. To help is in this effort we welcome two new members of our team; Ms. Angie Gonzalez-Kurver who is our new Lead Director of Development, and Mr. Winston Warrior who will be our new Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing as of June 1. I am eagerly anticipating the ebb of academia otherwise known as summer, to fully engage in reflective praxis for what I have learned over the year, and to actively engage in the implementation phase of our strategic plan. Over the summer, I will be here in the Merrick Building, on the Coral Gables Campus, if you wish to stop by, call or email – I would love to hear from you. Finally, as we enter into the hurricane season, please prepare to withstand any potential storms that come with the season; but also be prepared to be awed by the upcoming hurricane that is the operationalization of the School of Education and Human Development’s next phase!
Dean Laura Kohn-Wood