College of Education hires dean

Jane Hinson was selected to be the new Dean of the John H. Lounsbury College of Education, after a national search was conducted.

Hinson has a background in education that helped her earn the position. She received a doctoral degree at the University of North Carolina in Educational Foundations. She also has an M.Ed. in Educational Supervision and an A.B. degree from Chapel Hill. Beginning her career as an associate professor at West Georgia, Hinson moved on to Georgia College and held the position of Department Chair for Secondary Education for three years as well as Interim Dean of the College of Education.

The search for the new Dean involved several steps. After meeting with President Dorothy Leland, Provost Sandra Jordan selected the search committee and appointed the committee chair Paul Jones. The College of Education Search Committee then selected three or four applicants that met the ideal qualifications that were laid out before the search.

“(We wanted someone who) demonstrated an understanding of Georgia College’s mission and the college goals, who received stellar references, and who provided evidence of the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and who demonstrated the experience, integrity, and energy to lead a dynamic college,” Jordan said.

After several interviews, it became clear that Hinson was the perfect fit. She is very committed to the institution, and she is connected to the importance of liberal arts studies for students. It was her strong commitment as well as her experience, dedication to serve K-12 education and track record of providing a high quality educational experience to Georgia College’s students that helped her come forth as a finalist for the position.

Hinson was selected to be the Dean of the College of Education at the institution, and intends to bring forth a lot of commitment and passion to the College of Education.

“I see this as an opportunity to express my commitment towards the students and faculty here at GCSU,” Hinson said. “I am focused on preparing my students for their careers as educators.”

One thing that Hinson reiterated was her passion to nurture and prepare the “architects of change,” and senior early childhood education major Yuka Takemoto finds this to be of utmost importance.

“I believe that we have one of the best Schools of Education here at GCSU,” Takemoto said. “They consider many aspects of education and provide us, teacher candidates, with the latest information and knowledge that’s going to help become ‘the architects of change.’ To me it’s important to have a dean who will maintain this great school and make it even better for future educators.”

Hinson understands that there is a significant responsibility that comes with being the Dean of the College of Education, but she is excited about her newly acquired responsibilities.

“I am looking forward to developing a vision for the College of Education and following the university’s mission to help sustain undergrad programs and help grad programs continue to grow,” Hinson said.

As an advocate for the College of Education, Hinson is also ready to work with the faculty and students to create a vision of where Georgia College is going and how students are changing. Hinson is especially interested in knowing how schools need to change in order to fit all different kinds of students.

Jennifer Cornacchione, a former early education major, regrets changing her major before Hinson became the new dean.

“There were a few issues I had when I was in the College of Education,” Cornacchione said. “I didn’t feel completely connected with the department and the dean so I felt like my only option was to change majors.”

Hinson promises to make sure that problems like this do not occur by creating an environment that is respectful of the changing world as well as making sure she connects with and nurtures everyone.

Posted by Anna Morris on Jan 27 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.