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Gregory Kelly has been named dean of the College of Education, effective July 1. Kelly is currently Distinguished Professor of Science Education and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education at Penn State University.

The announcement was made in the email below, which was sent by Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Mike Malone to the campus community on June 6.

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Professor Gregory J. Kelly has been selected as the next Dean of the College of Education, effective on July 1, ­­­­2024. 

He has been at Penn State University for 20 years, where he currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Science Education and Senior Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education. Before that, he was a Faculty Leader in the Program of Education in the Department of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has authored over 100 research articles across a range of topics and his recent research has focused on the uses of epistemic practices and tools that can foster student learning in science and engineering education.

Dr. Kelly earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the State University of New York at Albany and a doctorate in Education from Cornell University. He is a National Academy of Education member and the recipient of the NARST 2021 Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award. He has been recognized as an American Educational Research Association (AERA) fellow, and his contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion were honored by Penn State’s College of Multicultural Leadership, which awarded him the University Faculty Way Paver Award in 2018.

I am grateful to the College of Education Dean Search Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Jacqueline Urla, Dean of the Graduate School, and Wilmore Webley, Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion, for their time and diligence in this process.

I would also like to thank Professor Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin for her service as Dean of the College of Education since 2017. Her leadership and work on behalf of the College and the University has been invaluable. She will be returning to the faculty after a research leave.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Kelly to the UMass Amherst community.

Sincerely,

Mike Malone
Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs