Florida State University Provost and Executive Vice President Lawrence G. Abele has announced the appointment of longtime FSU professor Marcy P. Driscoll as dean of the College of Education.
Driscoll, the college’s Leslie J. Briggs Professor of Educational Research and its associate dean for administration and research, succeeds Richard Kunkel, dean of the college since 2001, who stepped down to concentrate on teaching and conducting research with colleagues.
Abele expressed his gratitude for Kunkel’s long service to education and, in particular, “his contributions to improving educational opportunities both nationally and in the state of Florida.
“At the same time,” Abele said, “we’re fortunate to have someone of Dr. Driscoll’s caliber taking the helm of the College of Education. Marcy is
an outstanding educator and researcher in the areas of educational psychology and instructional development. Her emphasis on one of the college’s primary missions, teacher education, will serve it well.”
Driscoll first joined the FSU faculty in 1980 as an assistant professor of instructional systems and educational psychology. She was promoted to full professor in 1991. She then left FSU in 1992 for a teaching position at Arizona State University, but returned the following year—and has served on the FSU faculty ever since.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead the College of Education,” Driscoll said of her appointment. “As the second oldest college on campus, we have along and distinguished history in preparing teachers and other educational leaders. We also have excellent programs in such diverse areas as instructional technology, education policy and sport management. “One of the challenges we face is how best to respond
to the critical need for teachers in the state while at the same time maintaining and enhancing the quality of all our programs,” Driscoll said. “I look forward to strengthening our collaboration in research with the Learning Systems Institute and the Florida Center for Reading Research.”
An accomplished writer and researcher, Driscoll is the author of the book ldquo;Psychology of Learning for Instruction,” now in its third edition, and has co-authored five others. She also has written numerous academic articles and chapters in other researchers’ books. In addition, she has received numerous teaching honors, including an FSU Teaching Incentive Program Award for excellence in graduate and undergraduate teaching and a College of Education Teaching Award.
Driscoll received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mt. Holyoke College in 1973, and earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Massachusetts in 1976 and 1978, respectively.