Kimball joins College of Education and Human Development as associate dean

Ezekiel “Zeke” Kimball has been named associate dean for undergraduate and teacher education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development.

He will work to grow the college’s existing undergraduate programs and lead development of new programs and initiatives; oversee undergraduate student services in the college; facilitate ongoing teacher education assessment and accreditation; and identify and facilitate external funding initiatives designed to amplify the impact of undergraduate and teacher education.

“This is a critical time in education, where many longtime teachers are retiring or preparing to retire in the next few years,” Kimball says. “The College of Education and Human Development is in good position to meet this moment, and I’m excited to work with our talented faculty and staff to support the education community in Maine and beyond.”

The appointment marks a return to Maine for Kimball, who grew up in the state and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern Maine, where he also taught early in his career. He earned his Ph.D. in higher education from Pennsylvania State University.

Most recently, Kimball served as associate dean for academic affairs at the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He also taught at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.

Kimball’s research focuses on disability identity development and disabled student success; knowledge use and production in higher education; and the relationships between identity, identity development and postsecondary learning environments. He currently serves as co-executive editor of the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability as well as on the editorial board for the Journal of College Student Development. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Spencer Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

“I’m delighted to have Zeke join the College of Education and Human Development,” dean Penny Bishop says. “With his scholarly expertise and rich experience as a leader in higher education, he has a tremendous amount to offer and I am confident he will find like-minded colleagues with shared interests across many of our programs.”

In addition to the associate dean posting, Kimball has a faculty appointment in higher education.