2020 News Stories
USF Announces the Appointment of Interim Dean for the College of Education
Judith A. Ponticell, PhD
TAMPA, Fla. (June 29, 2020) — USF has announced the appointment of Professor Judith A. Ponticell as Interim Dean of the USF College of Education, effective July 6, 2020.
Dr. Ponticell has served as Chair of the Department of Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career, and Higher Education at USF since 2014 and has shown herself to be a strong, balanced and effective academic leader. She is deeply committed to fulfilling the College’s mission of “transforming lives through the promotion of equity, social justice, and improved outcomes for students and communities, particularly those that have been underserved… [and through] solving the most complex problems of a diverse society.”
Much progress has been made in the College of Education as faculty, staff and students have sought to build a unified community across USF’s three campuses in anticipation of consolidation beginning July 1, 2020. Supported by an exceptionally talented leadership team of Associate Deans and Department Chairs, Professor Ponticell is expected to provide stability through building on this momentum in serving the needs of the many communities and school districts across the Tampa Bay region. Her experience as committee chair for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges, is expected to serve the College and University well as they prepare for a site visit in January 2021.
Equally important will be Dr. Ponticell’s earlier experience as a high school teacher, department chair, assistant principal and interim principal as the College continues to strengthen partnerships with school districts and is expected to complete regular program reviews and reaccreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) this Fall.
Dr. Ponticell earned her degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Chicago State University. She is the recipient of many honors and awards including the USF President’s “Women in Leadership Award” in 2007. Her research addresses personal, interpersonal, and organizational factors that influence individual and organizational learning and change. She is the co-author of five books and has an extensive record of scholarly publications and grant funding to support her work. Throughout her career, Dr. Ponticell has held faculty and administrative appointments at the University of New Mexico, Texas Tech University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
USF plans to launch a national search beginning this Summer. A widely representative Search Advisory Committee will be chaired by Dean Kevin Sneed of USF’s Taneja College of Pharmacy.