2:34 p.m., Dec. 19, 2008----Nancy W. Brickhouse has been appointed interim deputy dean of the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, and Kathleen Minke has stepped into Brickhouse's former role and will serve as the acting director of the School of Education (SOE).

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“CHEP is extremely fortunate to have Nancy and Kathy filling these key roles,” said Michael Gamel-McCormick, interim dean of the college. “They each bring a wealth of experience and personal skill to their respective positions, and CHEP will benefit greatly from their strong leadership abilities.”

Brickhouse first joined the faculty of the School of Education as an assistant professor of science education in 1988. She has published widely on teaching about the nature of science and about gender issues in science education. She served as editor of the journal Science Education from 2002-2007.

As associate director of the School of Education from 2002-2007, she coordinated the school's 700-student elementary teacher education program and oversaw major program changes and a successful program review by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). She was named director of the school in 2007.

Part of Brickhouse's portfolio as deputy dean will be to facilitate strong relationships between CHEP and other institutions around the globe. She has lectured extensively in countries around the world, including India, Taiwan, Sweden, England and Norway. She recently completed study tours of schools in China and Canada.

“My scholarship reinforces for me the significance of understanding how communities, families, and schools actually have very porous boundaries,” Brickhouse said. “I look forward to working with Interim Dean Michael Gamel-McCormick and the faculty and staff of all four schools and departments in the college to build and integrate our nationally recognized expertise in these overlapping, interactive areas.”

Minke joined the School of Education in 1991 as an assistant professor in the school psychology program. Her research has examined parent-teacher relationships, professional issues in school psychology, and the self-perception of students with learning disabilities. She has been active in the leadership of the National Association of School Psychologists.

For the past six years she has been a consultant for the state of Delaware's Positive Behavior Support (PBS) initiative. Her work with the project has focused primarily on family-school collaboration, universal screening and targeted interventions.

“This is an exciting time in the School of Education,” Minke said. “We have an outstanding, productive faculty whose work will continue to improve education in Delaware and beyond. Dr. Brickhouse's leadership has resulted in a strategic plan that will guide our work over the next year, and I'm looking forward to implementing the plan.”

Article by Beth Chajes