Provost Office: Memorandum
To: The Drexel University Community
From: Stephen W. Director, Provost
Subject: Appointment: Dean of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies
Date: 19 June 2007
Dr. William Lynch named Dean of Goodwin College
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. William Lynch as the Dean of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies, effective July 1, 2007. This appointment follows a national search that began a year ago. Dr. Lynch will continue to serve as Director of the School of Education until a suitable transition strategy has been worked out over the next several months.
Prior to coming to Drexel as director of the School of Education in 2004, Dr. Lynch served as Vice President for Operations and Acting CEO for GWSolutions Inc. and Executive Director of the Center for Distance and Mediated Learning, George Washington University's continuing education unit.
He served for seventeen years as a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at The George Washington University and was the Founding Director of the Educational Technology Leadership Program, GW's first online program. As a result of this program's success, Dr. Lynch received the United States Distance Learning Association's "Most Outstanding Achievement in Distance Learning" award.
Dr. Lynch has over thirty years of experience as a public school teacher, professor of education, higher education administrator and educational innovator; he has contributed to the field of education through numerous research and curriculum development projects, presentations, and publications.
Under his leadership as Director, the School of Education has become a comprehensive provider of professional programs aimed at preparing students for educationally oriented careers in schools, higher and adult education, business and government. Seven new master's degree programs, an innovative, new bachelor's and master's dual degree program, an online bachelor's degree completion program, a minor in education, as well as a full-time Ph.D. and part-time Ed.D. program have been developed.
The School of Education has also created and sustained relationships with many regional schools and other external organizations. During Lynch's time as Director, the School of Education has gone from being unrecognized in the U.S. News & World Report America's Best Graduate Schools ranking, to being ranked 38th among the nation's graduate education programs for 2008. The academic programs and the School of Education's reputation are supported by nineteen full-time faculty and a talented professional staff, including the internationally recognized "The Math Forum@ Drexel."
During the 2006-2007 Academic Year, Dr. Lynch also served as the Interim Dean of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies creating a new mission, organizational structure, and program portfolio in alignment with Drexel University's new strategic plan aimed at expanding Drexel's commitment to non-traditional learners and growing the College's unique academic programs.
Under Dr. Lynch's leadership both the Goodwin College of Professional Studies and the School of Education have developed numerous positive relationships with other Drexel academic and non-academic units.
I want to express my deep gratitude to the Goodwin College of Professional Studies Dean Search Advisory Committee, chaired by Dean Mark Greenberg, for the tremendous effort they put into this search.