Ralph Fessler, the inaugural dean of the Johns Hopkins
University School of
Education and a state and national leader in teacher
education, will retire at the end of the 2008-2009 academic
year, he announced today.
Since joining Johns Hopkins in 1983, Fessler has
played a key role in the preparation of teacher and school
administrators in Maryland and in the evolution of the
university's K-12 education and research programs into what
is now the School of Education. He served as professor and
director of the Graduate Division of Education and,
beginning in 1999, as dean of the School of Professional
Studies in Business and Education. That school was divided
in January 2007 to create the School of Education and the
Carey Business
School.
"It has been a privilege and an honor to work with
such outstanding faculty and staff, talented students and
dedicated alumni who attend to some of the most challenging
and important issues facing education," Fessler said. "The
School of Education is a creative, innovative and
responsive community that has made a difference in the
lives of children, and I believe that the best is yet to
come."
Fessler's retirement will coincide with the school's
yearlong celebration of its origins — which can be
traced to the 1909 founding of Johns Hopkins' College
Courses for Teachers — while at the same time
celebrating its identity as a new stand-alone School of
Education.
"Ralph has presided over the continued growth and
maturation of a school that is well-positioned for national
prominence," said William R. Brody, president of the
university. "The initiatives he has taken over the years to
build the infrastructure needed for both teaching and
research will have a lasting impact on Johns Hopkins and
the School of Education. I am grateful for his many
contributions and accomplishments as dean."
"Dean Fessler is a passionate leader of the highest
integrity," said Kristina Johnson, provost and senior vice
president for academic affairs. "He is dedicated to his
faculty, students and staff, and has worked tirelessly in
leading them through the transition to a new stand-alone
School of Education, re-accreditation and the process of
raising the visibility of the new school."
Under Fessler's leadership, Johns Hopkins education
programs in 2003 obtained national accreditation from the
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
The school moved in 2006 into the Education Building,
located at 2800 N. Charles St., marking the first time
Johns Hopkins education programs have had their own
building. The school also established numerous
universitywide collaborations to bring an interdisciplinary
focus to K-12 education issues.
Under his leadership, the master's degree and graduate
certificate programs expanded, including the Master of Arts
in Teaching degree that he re-established in 1986 after a
hiatus of 12 years. The MAT program, which is designed to
prepare individuals with strong academic backgrounds as
teachers through a graduate program that leads to
certification, is currently the school's largest program.
Other areas of expansion included the school's doctoral
programs; program offerings at the university's Columbia
and Montgomery County campuses; distance learning programs;
science, technology and mathematics education initiatives
established in partnership with the School of Engineering;
and grant and research activity that currently stands in
excess of $14 million annually. Today, the School of
Education has more than 50 partnerships with school
districts throughout the region and nation.
Fessler worked with faculty and external partners to
establish the Center for
Technology in Education, which, under the leadership of
director Jackie Nunn, has emerged as a leading research and
development center that supports the integration of
technology into teaching and learning. In addition, he
brought two nationally recognized centers to the school,
the Center for
Summer Learning, under the leadership of Ron Fairchild,
and the
Center for Research and Reform in Education, under
the leadership of Robert Slavin.
"Without question, Dr. Fessler has been a formidable
leader not only at Johns Hopkins University but also across
this state," said Nancy Grasmick, Maryland state
superintendent of schools. "His outstanding work and
steadfast commitment to excellence have helped to secure
Maryland's distinction as a leader in education in this
country. Every single day, Dr. Fessler exemplifies the
characteristics of a man with an amazing vision, a vision
that has kept Johns Hopkins University on the cutting edge
of education."
Fessler received his BS, MS and PhD degrees from the
University of Wisconsin and taught in public schools in
Illinois and Wisconsin. He held faculty and administration
positions in the University of Wisconsin system before
coming to Johns Hopkins in 1983 as professor and director
of the Graduate Division of Education. He served as
associate dean of academic affairs from 1993 until being
appointed interim dean of the School of Professional
Studies in Business and Education in 1999 and dean in
2000.
Fessler has served on numerous state and national task
forces and boards, including as chair of a task force that
led to the "Redesign of Teacher Education" in Maryland. He
also served on the board and executive committee of the
American Association of Colleges and Teacher Education.
Fessler's research activities have centered on
studying teacher career stages and implications for teacher
leadership development. From 1999 to 2005, he served as
principal investigator of a $12 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to redesign teacher education
programs for urban communities, which led to the
establishment of innovative approaches to recruiting,
preparing and retaining quality teachers for urban schools.
He was co-recipient of the Research of the Year award from
the Association for Teacher Educators for his work on
teacher career stages. In addition, he has assisted with
numerous international education initiatives, including
projects in Israel, Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
A nationwide search for a dean will begin soon,
Provost Johnson said.