Students within the College of Education will be seeing a new name on the wall. Vanessa Sheared has been named dean of the department by former Provost Ric Brown. Her new position began on Aug. 21.

“The faculty and staff of the College of Education are very pleased to have Dr. Sheared join us as our new dean and we look forward to working with her to advance the mission of the college,” said Suzy Lunstead, the administrative support coordinator for the College of Education.

Sheared has undergone a week of introductions and meetings. She’s gaining her bearings by taking campus tours and learning the locations of all the department classrooms and buildings. She is also interviewing candidates for personal assistant position. The department is also working to put together a doctorate program, illustrated by a four-hour meeting on Tuesday.

Since 2000, Sheared served as associate dean of the College of Education at San Francisco State where her responsibilities included coordination of credential services, accreditation and program development and review. Before the associate dean position, Sheared served as chair of the Department of Education and Interdisciplinary Studies at San Francisco State.

Sheared edited a book entitled “Making Space.” She said it is very important to understand the intersections of race, gender and class and how it affects education and daily life and the book discusses how giving voice about these issues can further our understanding.

“Engaging in a dialogue about the ways in which gender, race, class, language, sexual orientation, age, etc. have and continue to influence the ways in which we communicate will hopefully lead to us finding ways to interact and work with each other in meaningful ways,” Sheared said.

According to the Office of Public Affairs’ website, Sheared holds a doctorate in Adult Continuing Education from Northern Illinois University with an emphasis on adult basic education, a master’s degree in education and counseling from Louisiana State University with an emphasis on psychology and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wheaton College.

She has been awarded scholarships focusing on the intersection of race, gender and politics and the impacts these factors have on teaching, learning and literacy within adult education programs.

Sheared will have meetings with all the faculty and department chairs during the first week of school. She is looking forward to meeting all of her new colleagues.

Sheared plans to work with faculty and staff to reach the goals and directions of the college. She plans to provide and promote excellent educational opportunities for students. Sheared is also hoping to provide more scholarships for students. She hopes to create a community of understanding to further the development and growth of faculty, staff and students.

Stefanie Segur can be reached at [email protected]