WSU Appoints New Dean to Lead College of Education
OGDEN, Utah – After a career teaching everything from kindergarten to graduate school, Kristin Hadley has been selected as the new dean for the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education. Her selection was approved by the Board of Trustees on Feb. 14. She will assume the position at the beginning of the academic year, July 1.
The college has a wide range of departments: Child & Family Studies; Teacher Education; Master of Education; Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation; Department of Exercise & Nutrition Sciences; and Master of Science in Athletic Training.
“They are all outward-facing, service-oriented professions that help people live better lives. That is the overarching college theme,” Hadley said. “I want to get people on board with a strong mission statement that communicates a common goal of service, which has the underpinnings of a strategic plan to support that vision.”
Hadley began teaching in public school in the early ’80s after earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Utah State University. Nearly 17 years later, while encouraging a group of young women to set bold goals, Hadley set her own goal of earning a doctoral degree, which she completed in curriculum and instruction at Utah State in 2005, with an emphasis in instructional leadership and mathematics education.
“I felt like I had something to contribute as a woman in a leadership position,” explained Hadley. “That’s one reason I applied for the position of dean. I started out teaching elementary school, and I want students to know if they take advantage of leadership opportunities as they come along, they can continue to grow and progress.”
Hadley began teaching at Weber State in 2005 and assumed the role of teacher education department chair in 2013.
Hadley believes in broad collaboration to make systematic improvement to Utah’s educational system. One of her particular interests is mathematics education.
“For the past four or five years, we’ve been working across Utah and at Weber State to revise how we train our elementary teachers in mathematics,” Hadley said. “We have to shift our thinking of what it means to teach mathematics to children, so they learn the reasoning behind the answers they’re getting.”
According to Weber State Provost Madonne Miner, Hadley was selected from a national search for her ability to bring people together and provide a vision that others share.
“Dr. Kristin Hadley has proven herself as an exceptionally capable, thoughtful and collegial chair of WSU's Teacher Education Department,” Miner said. “As dean, many responsibilities will fall to her, including building stronger connections with our education colleagues in the community, engaging in “cross-building” communications within the college, and, in general, providing a vision for the future of the Moyes College of Education.”
For photos, visit the following link.
wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Colleges-and-Departments/Education-Jerry-and-Vickie-Moy/Kristin-Hadley
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Allison Barlow Hess, Public Relations Director, Weber State University
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu- Contact:
Allison Barlow Hess, Public Relations Director, Weber State University
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu