Office of the Provost - Provost appoints interim dean, School of Education
Nov. 15, 2023
Dear School of Education students, faculty, and staff,
Today, I’m announcing the appointment of Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, associate dean for faculty advancement in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), to serve as interim dean of the School of Education effective Jan. 1.
Fernando will succeed Dean Kathy Schultz, who announced her resignation on Sept. 28 and will remain as dean of the school through the end of the calendar year.
Throughout our campus search for an interim education dean, Fernando’s name came up multiple times, in multiple circles, and within and outside of the school. People expressed enthusiasm for his record as a conscientious leader consistently supportive of faculty, staff and students, and as a capable administrator with a keen grasp of policy and processes. They also recognized his strong leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion within CEAS.
At CEAS, Fernando’s efforts have led to increased transparency in faculty recruitment, hiring and promotion, alongside his service to the campus community as a part of the IDEA Council and the Academic Futures Committee.
Fernando is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering whose research focuses on environmental chemistry, including examining the effects that wildland and urban fires can have on water quality and degradation of contaminants in environmental and engineered systems. He has been a member of the CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ faculty since 2008.
In his interim position as dean, Fernando will work to build community within the school, create further stability in budgets and operations, and set the stage for new leadership via a national search, which I will announce later in the spring semester. He will not be a candidate in that search.
I’d like to thank those in the School of Education community who participated in the open forums and for your other feedback, as it was instrumental in making this interim dean appointment. I’d also like to thank Kathy for her continued service and her compassionate and committed leadership of the School of Education.
Sincerely,
Russ
Russ Moore
Provost