Lynne Schrum, professor and coordinator of elementary education in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, has been named dean of the College of Human Resources and Education at West Virginia University.
“Dr. Schrum is ideally suited to guide the college at this crucial moment,” said Michele Wheatly, WVU provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Today’s HR&E students are tomorrow’s educators and clinicians, both in West Virginia and across the nation. Dr. Schrum’s expertise in preparing young people for 21st century learning and working environments will ensure their success in the future.”
Wheatly also praised Schrum’s extensive leadership experience. Schrum is a former department chair at the University of Utah and a past president of the International Society for Technology in Education. She has also studied exemplary leadership in schools throughout the U.S.
“We look forward to great things from the college of HR&E under Dr. Schrum’s leadership,” Wheatly said. “She’s truly a seasoned leader and eager to work with faculty to help the college achieve some ambitious strategic goals.”
Schrum said, “I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with the exceptional faculty and staff in the WVU College of Human Resources and Education. The college is poised to continue and expand its scholarship and service to its students, and through them, to many others.
“West Virginia University has a well-deserved reputation as an outstanding research institution; I look forward to contributing to that reputation throughout the state, region and nation. I eagerly anticipate joining the WVU, Morgantown and West Virginia communities, and appreciate this opportunity,” said Schrum, who will begin her new assignment July 16, 2012.
Schrum currently teaches at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where she is the academic program coordinator for elementary education. She is also currently working under the auspices of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, a U. S. Department of Education program that provides grants to support innovative educational reform projects that can serve as national models for reform. She will bring some of those grant monies with her to WVU, where they will fund graduate student researchers.
Schrum’s disciplinary focus throughout her career has been on technology in the classroom, online education and distance learning. She has published extensively in all three areas, editing and authoring nine books and numerous articles. In 2012, she ended a 10-year tenure as editor of the Journal of Research on Technology in Education.
Prior to her work at George Mason University she chaired the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Utah for three years. Other previous academic affiliations include the University of Georgia, the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, the University of Alaska and the University of Oregon.
Schrum earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University, a Master of Arts degree in Learning Disabilities and Elementary Education from the University of Evansville and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Oregon.
The College of Human Resources and Education, one of 14 schools and colleges within WVU, was established in 1927. It has 80 faculty and 37 full-time staff and an enrollment of 799 undergraduate and 1,339 graduate students. It has a full spectrum of degree programs housed in five academic divisions: Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling & Counseling Psychology, Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies, Special Education, Speech Pathology & Audiology, and Technology, Learning & Culture.
Supplementing and supporting the college’s degree-granting academic programs are clinical facilities, the WVU Speech Center, the WVU Hearing Center and the WVU Reading Clinic, that simultaneously train WVU students and serve the community. HR&E also sponsors the Health Sciences and Technology Academy for high school students in West Virginia and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship Education. All of these resources provide opportunities for learning and study beyond the classroom and enhance the well-being and quality of life of the people of West Virginia.
Dana Brooks, dean of WVU’s College of Physical Activity and Sports Science, led the search committee that chose two candidates from a pool of applicants to visit campus in February and March 2012.
Dr. Elizabeth Dooley, WVU’s associate provost for undergraduate academic affairs, has been serving as interim dean in the College since August of 2011. Upon Dr. Schrum’s appointment, Dr. Dooley will return full-time to her duties and responsibilities as associate provost.
“Dr. Dooley took on an extraordinary job last summer when she agreed to serve as interim dean while still serving in her role as associate provost,” said Wheatly. “Colleagues across campus have been tremendously impressed by her ability to balance so many demanding constituencies and serve them all so well. We are so grateful to Dr. Dooley for her commitment to the University and we look forward to having her back in the Provost’s office full-time.”
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