Announcements
Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009Theobald Appointed Interim Graduate School Dean
Paul Theobald became interim dean of the Graduate School on August 3. He fills the vacancy left by Kevin Railey, who serves as the college’s interim provost.
“I will work to ensure that the Graduate School is doing everything it can to enhance scholarly life at Buffalo State for our faculty,” Theobald said, “so they, in turn, can best bring their insights to our students. As our Web sitestates, the Graduate School truly is a ‘community of scholars.’”
In his new role, Theobald will continue to pursue several issues that the Graduate School has been working on: the continuous enrollment policy, and revisions to several multidisciplinary graduate programs. He also is interested in exploring the establishment of a campus graduate student organization.
Theobald said he is open to policy initiatives and directions that faculty want to move forward with. “I will rely heavily on faculty members who are deeply engaged with our institution.”
He will continue to serve as the Woods-Beals Endowed Chair in Urban and Rural Education. In this role, Theobald edits and contributes to the peer-reviewed online Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education. In addition, he facilitates teacher study groups, mentors non-tenured faculty, and serves on the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education’s (CEURE) advisory committee. He also has been working with Ron Rochon, dean of the School of Education, on the college’s plan to once again use Buffalo Public School 96, Campus West, as a college learning lab.
Theobald is recognized nationally as an expert on rural education and the history of American education. He has published widely and recently completed another book,Education Now: How Rethinking America’s Past Can Change Its Future (Paradigm Publishers).
Before moving to Buffalo in 2004, Theobald was dean of the School of Education and Counseling at Nebraska’s Wayne State College. He holds a doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in history from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
His service as interim dean will conclude with the appointment of the college’s eighth president.
