Laurie Mullen, Ph.D. will be Towson University’s next dean of the College of Education, effective July 8, 2015. She comes to Towson from Ball State University, where she served as the associate dean of BSU’s Teachers College.
“I am pleased to welcome Laurie Mullen to the College of Education and Towson University,” said Interim Provost S. Maggie Reitz. “Her significant experience in recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff, as well as her passion for serving the university community and fostering educational partnerships internationally, will greatly assist the College of Education as we move forward.”
Mullen earned her B.S. in secondary education and Spanish from Southern Illinois University in 1983. She was awarded an M.Ed. and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
That year, Mullen joined the faculty at Ball State University and was promoted to full professor in 2010. During her 18 years at Ball State, she served as coordinator of secondary programs, associate dean of the Teachers College and acting associate provost for Learning Initiatives. She has also been co-director of Ball State’s Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships since 2008, and has served as co-editor of The Teacher Educator for eight years. Her research interests include teacher education, educational technology and university-school collaboration.
Mullen’s background includes expertise in international projects, including outreach ventures in northern Africa, Asia and Europe. Her work with corporate partners included co-principal investigation on two federal Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) grants with Apple Inc., as well as a grant for the MyVisit Electronic Author Visit (EAV) series with Simon & Schuster.
Mullen replaces Raymond Lorion, Ph.D. who served as the dean of the College of Education for 11 years. He will remain at Towson University to focus on his research with the Center for Application and Innovation Research in Education (CAIRE), which he created and developed. CAIRE works with the Maryland Department of Education in evaluating the effectiveness of the federal government’s Race to the Top program in the state. In his chosen new role, Lorion will be expanding the work of this center into other important areas.
