Dear LMU Community:
With mixed emotions, I share that LMU School of Education Dean Michelle D. Young will be leaving LMU to become the next dean of the Berkeley School of Education at UC Berkeley. Her last day at LMU is June 14, 2023.
Dean Young joined the LMU School of Education at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, when educators and schools of education were challenged as never before to serve their students. During her tenure, she led the school’s strategic planning, guided the development of new programs and the redesign of existing ones, and attracted new partners to boost the diversity and number of qualified teachers and educational leaders throughout California. Below are a few examples of Dean Young’s leadership and accomplishments:
- She amplified the school’s commitment to DEI and social justice by naming its first associate dean of DEI, establishing a Diversity Action Committee to monitor progress toward measurable DEI goals, and supporting the development of a school-wide framework;
- She was instrumental in advancing the development of a diverse and inclusive SOE community by hiring new faculty and staff members of color and supporting professional learning opportunities for all faculty and staff;
- She supported the creation of the school’s first-ever undergraduate major, education and learning sciences, slated to launch in fall 2023;
- She developed new partnerships and built capacity for future ones, intentionally selecting partners that will aid in the development of a more diverse teacher and educational leadership workforce in California, including the expansion of the school’s long-term partnership with Teach For America;
- And she launched an SOE Staff Council to engage staff in organizational decision making, staff wellness initiatives, professional development and performance improvement programs, and organizational culture building.
In addition to the many ways Dean Young served the LMU School of Education, she also served on search committees for the university’s vice president for Information Technology Services in 2022 and the vice president for Human Resources this spring; was appointed to the Marketing and Communications Advisory Committee to represent academic deans and offer strategic counsel on high-visibility initiatives (including the brand development initiative); and represented the academic deans on the Benefits Committee in fall 2022.
I am grateful to Dean Young and her team for their impactful contributions to our university, and to our SOE faculty, staff, students, and educational partners. I will provide an update on interim leadership and transition plans in the coming weeks.
Please join me in congratulating Dean Young on her many successes, thanking her for her leadership, and celebrating her new role.
Sincerely,
Thomas Poon, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost
Professor of Chemistry
