Pitt opens seach for School of Education dean

The Pitt community — students, faculty, staff, alumni and others — will have a say in who takes over as dean of Pitt’s School of Education.

Two and a half months after Alan Lesgold announced he was retiring as dean of Pitt’s School of Education, the Office of the Provost announced Wednesday it would begin its search for the new SOE dean by circulating an online survey to gather community input.

The Office of the Provost formed a 12-person search committee to evaluate candidates and the results of the surveys. Alberta Sbragia, the committee’s representative from the provost’s office, said the committee would leave the survey live until March 2016, around the time the committee hopes to find a replacement dean.

In the six-question survey, the committee asks community members what traits and types of experience they would like to see in the new dean and includes the option for members to nominate someone for the position.

According to Sbragia, the committee met for the first time earlier this month but doesn’t have a list of specific qualifications. Sbragia said the committee may accept a candidate with a Ph.D. or an Ed.D. for the position.

As for experience, Sbragia said deans of education have a “variety” of skills and experiences, so the committee is keeping an open mind. The committee may look at candidates with prior dean, assistant dean, or other education-related experience that it feels could apply to Pitt. Lesgold, the current dean, had all three.

“We cast a wide a net because the field of education is a very broad one,” Sbragia said.

Pitt announced in July that Lesgold would step down from his position next August.

Lesgold began his career at Pitt in 1971 as an assistant psychology professor after receiving his Ph.D. at Stanford University.

By 1985, Pitt had promoted Lesgold to a full-time teaching role. The next year, Lesgold began his tenure as the associate director of Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center, serving in the role from 1986 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, he served as the LRDC’s executive associate director. Lesgold became dean in 2000.

The survey is available here.