Education names new dean

 

The College of Education named Vasti Torres, director the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University- Bloomington, as the new dean of the college.

Torres will assume responsibilities later this summer, after Interim Dean Harold Keller served for a year.

Torres, a Florida native, said she is happy to be returning to her home state.

“We’ve had a bitterly bad winter in Indiana,” she said. “Joking aside, I’m very attract- ed to universities that have a strong commitment to urban engagement and I like the idea of being part of that.”

USF Provost Ralph Wilcox said in a press release that Torres would be a good fit for the university.

“Our goal is a College of Education that is especially relevant to the needs of educators in the 21st century and I look forward to working with Dean Torres as, together with the faculty, we strive to expand opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, build and strengthen partnerships with the communities we serve, and raise the profile of the college to national and global prominence,” he said. “…. Her broad experience with issues of growing importance in higher education, such as the dynamics and factors linked to the academic success or failure of working students, as well as her personal research concentration on the college experience of Latino students — a significant constituency here at USF — make Dr. Torres an excellent fit for the deanship of the college.”

Torres said while the College of Education produces more degrees than simply teacher preparation, it is essential for the college to keep up with a field that is evolving.

“I think education as a whole is really being looked at with a microscope,” she said. “As faculty and researchers at an institution, we need to respond with evidence-based practices that will really make a difference with student-based learning. That’s where we really need to shepherd the learning with students in the classroom.”

Torres said she has a good sense of humor and welcomes visitors to her office.