New Dean - College of Education

Press Release

The University of Memphis is pleased to announce that Dr. Ric Hovda has accepted the position of Dean of the College of Education, effective July 1, 2002. Dr. Hovda earned a Ph.D. in teacher education, language arts, and children’s literature at Ohio State University, and earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in education from the University of North Dakota. He is currently the E.Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education, a joint appointment with the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the St. Louis Public Schools System. He has also served as the Director of the Center for the Collaborative Advancement of the Teaching Profession and as Professor of the Department of Early and Middle Childhood Education at the University of Louisville.

Dr. Hovda replaces Dr. Nate Essex, current president of Southwest Tennessee State College. Since Dr. Essex’s departure, Dr. John Schifani has served as the interim dean.