Dimmel, Hakkola receive tenure, promotion

The University of Maine this week announced that 38 faculty members have received tenure and/or promotion. That includes two members of the College of Education and Human Development faculty who received tenure and promotion to associate professor, Justin Dimmel and Leah Hakkola. Both have been at UMaine since 2015.

Dimmel is now associate professor of mathematics education and instructional technology. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in the School of Learning and Teaching. In addition, he is the founder and director of the Immersive Mathematics in Rendered Environments (IMRE) Lab, which designs virtual and augmented reality math and science learning environments, and investigates how VR and AR technologies can transform STEM education. Dimmel recently received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the organization’s most prestigious award for early career faculty.

Hakkola is now associate professor of higher education in the School of Educational Leadership, Higher Education and Human Development. She teaches master’s and doctoral-level courses in the graduate programs in higher education. Her research examines how local, national and global discourses about diversity are developed and conveyed in the higher education, focusing on how these discourses shape and are informed by educational policies and practices, and how they affect student success.

UMaine’s annual announcement about promotion and/or tenure recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship and research, and community engagement by faculty across the university.

Congratulations to Drs. Hakkola and Dimmel on this achievement!