New dean named for College of Education and Human Development

University of Maine Executive Vice President and Provost Jeffrey Hecker has named Timothy Reagan the dean of the College of Education and Human Development, effective July 1.

The appointment is pending approval by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees.

Reagan replaces UMaine Professor of Higher Education Susan Gardner, who has served as interim dean for the past nine months.

“Dr. Reagan has a more than 30-year career in education as a faculty member, researcher and administrator — demonstrated engagement and expertise essential to helping fulfill the statewide mission of the Maine’s flagship university,” says Hecker. “In addition, he has international experience that will provide important perspective on global issues in education in Maine and beyond.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Gardner for her leadership as interim dean, effectively positioning the college to advance its teaching, research, innovation and engagement initiatives.”

UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development prepares more Maine teachers and education leaders than any other institution. In the land grant tradition, the college is engaged in nearly all of Maine’s more than 140 school districts. UMaine’s graduate education programs are nationally ranked.

“I am delighted to be joining the University at an especially exciting time in its history,” Reagan says, “and look forward to working closely with colleagues in the College of Education and Human Development, and, of course, with our many partners in the community to address the many challenges and opportunities that face us as we move forward to continue to serve the state and the nation.”

Reagan recently returned to the United States, having served for three and a half years as founding dean of the Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. He has held a variety of senior faculty and administrative positions at institutions in the U.S. and South Africa, including Gallaudet University, University of Connecticut, Roger Williams University, Central Connecticut State University and University of the Witwatersrand.

He holds a Ph.D and master’s degree in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Reagan says the core values that have guided his career include a belief in the role of a liberal education as a foundational part of the preparation of educators; a deep respect for diversity and inclusivity in schools and society, broadly conceived and grounded in a powerful concern for social justice; and, most important, a commitment to working to ensure that the highest quality of education is available to students at all levels of the educational system.

His areas of expertise include teacher education and teacher education reform, language policy and planning in education, foreign language education, sign languages, and comparative and international education. Reagan is the author of more than a dozen books and 150 refereed journal articles and book chapters on educational and applied linguistics, educational policy studies, educational reform — especially at the preK–12 level, teacher education, comparative education and philosophy of education.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745