Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D. named Associate Dean of the Fordham Graduate School of Education

The Fordham Graduate School of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D., as associate dean effective June 1, 2022.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Fordham Graduate School of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D., as associate dean effective June 1, 2022. Rodriguez received her Doctorate in Philosophy in Language, Learning and Literacy from Fordham University in 1997, followed by a Post Doc from the University of Virginia in Special Education and Teaching. She has been a graduate level professor in Fordham’s Division of Curriculum and Teaching since 2012, with a primary research interest focused on the intersection of special education, bilingual and multicultural education, and teacher preparation. Four years ago, Rodriguez started Every Girl is Important, a not-for-profit organization focused on providing underserved Kenyan girls with an education.

According to Dr. José Luis Alvarado, Dean of the Graduate School of Education, “Dr. Rodriguez is a consummate professional who is well-respected within the institution and brings a depth of knowledge about higher education and professional preparation programs. Dr. Rodriguez cares deeply about our students, programs, and faculty and will surely make her mark as someone who values teamwork and collaboration. In short, she lives the mission of the GSE and Fordham University. I look forward to the many contributions she will make in supporting the strategic direction of the Graduate School of Education.

“I am lucky to be giving my time and expertise to the academic institution that opened my horizons and made me a creative and analytical thinker,” says Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D., on her appointment as associate dean. “In my new role, I want to be supportive of GSE colleagues, students, and administration, while working with the faculty to develop academic programs and experiences that foster student success and recognition. I want to be a connecting bridge between the GSE dean’s office and faculty, students, and the Fordham community.”

With her extensive work experience in higher education in the areas of research, teaching, and service, Rodriguez has gained deep insight into effective strategies for supporting teamwork and collaboration. She hopes to implement incentives to increase student enrollment, and notes that the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a key consideration.

Personally, Rodriguez recalls that her interest in being an educator began early, as an eight-year-old child. She started by teaching her siblings and other kids in the neighborhood how to read and write in a “classroom” on her home’s balcony in Puerto Rico. Years later, after she began teaching in her hometown, she read in the local newspaper that the NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) was recruiting bilingual teachers to work with bilingual learners and was offering a scholarship to enroll in a master’s degree program.

The opportunity was all the incentive Rodriguez needed to decide to pursue the bilingual teacher position. She passed the NYCDOE exam, went for an interview, and moved to New York City. Then, Rodriguez applied for admission to Fordham University and was accepted into the doctoral program. She credits wonderful professors for her continued academic and professional success, including mentors Angela Reyes-Carrasquillo, Ph.D. and Barbara Jackson, Ed.D.

Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, located at 113 W. 60th Street, New York, NY 10023, offers more than 40 master’s, doctoral, and certificate programs in nearly three dozen fields of study. Faculty within the school are renowned teachers/scholars in educational leadership, counseling and counseling psychology, school psychology, and teacher education.

To contact the Graduate School of Education, please call (212) 636-6406 or email gsedeans@fordham.edu.

Jeanine Genauer
The JPR Group, Public Relations & Marketing Communications
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