Peter Hlebowitsh Named Dean of UA College of Education

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Peter Hlebowitsh has been named the 10^thdean of The University of Alabama College of Education, succeeding Dr. James McLean, who is set to retire at the end of the year.

Hlebowitsh will assume the dean’s duties on Jan. 1, 2013.

Hlebowitsh is currently the department executive officer of the department of teaching and learning at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since 2008. Additionally, Hlebowitsh has held teaching posts at Iowa, the University of Houston and Long Island University.

“Dr. Hlebowitsh has displayed remarkable leadership at the University of Iowa, and I look forward to his service to our university,” said Dr. Judy Bonner, UA provost and executive vice president. “President (Guy) Bailey and I are strongly committed to working with Dr. Hlebowitsh as he assumes these new responsibilities.”

“I’m honored to accept this position, and I do it with great enthusiasm knowing I’ll be working with a highly-touted group of faculty and administrators,” said Hlebowitsh. “I’m very excited about getting started, and I’m very honored that the faculty and other key involvement groups have given me this opportunity.”

Hlebowitsh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education, a Master of Arts in curriculum theory and development and a doctorate in education, all from Rutgers University.

In his current position at the University of Iowa, Hlebowitsh is responsible for promoting his department’s graduate programs, sustaining a top-flight, teacher-education program, managing the fiscal planning of the department, and having an active role in staffing assignments, grant and research management and course design.

“My wife and I are now empty-nesters now, and we’re ready for a new adventure,” he said. “The timing was right, and my development to this point gives me a lot of confidence that I’ll succeed at The University of Alabama.”

Hlebowitsh said he has personal and professional relationships with several UA faculty members, including Dr. Wayne Urban, who wrote a rejoinder to one of his articles, and Dr. Steven Tomlinson, whom Hlebowitsh called a “first-rate historian.”

“There are a number of programs at UA that are very strong and have great reputations,” he said. “Jim (McLean) is a remarkable dean, and I have big shoes to fill. The good news is the college is in great shape.”

Since 1996, Hlebowitsh has helped secured more than $1.45 million in curriculum and development grants. His accomplishments at the University of Iowa also include the development of a  a Teacher Leader Center that provides extra classroom support to teacher education candidates, work on a summative performance assessment mechanism for the pre-service teachers and the design of various grant getting incentives for faculty.

McLean served as dean of UA’s College of Education since 2004. He helped guide the college to a No. 79 ranking in US News & World Report rankings of Graduate Schools of Education, the highest ranking in school history. McLean joined the faculty of The University of Alabama in 1974, serving as a professor and assistant dean until 1995. He then served on the faculties at East Tennessee State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham before being named dean at UA in 2004.