Fall Semester Brings Leadership Changes in College of Education September 24, 2012

As of September 1, the College of Education has new leadership in four major administrative positions.  

Dr. Beth Maloch has taken over the post Associate Dean for Teacher Education, Student Affairs and Administration, which previously was held by Dr. Sherry Field. In addition to being associate dean, Maloch is a language and literacy expert in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and winner of numerous awards for teaching excellence. She has been honored with the 2011 Elizabeth Massey Award for Excellence in Teacher Education, 2010 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award and 2009 Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2011 she was inducted into The University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers and has been honored by the Literacy Research Association with its Early Career Achievement Award. She also has been on the Literacy Research Association’s board since 2009.  

Maloch has served on several college committees that inform the teacher education program, including the ALD committee, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and Coordinator’s Committee, and has been part of the university’s Educational Policy Committee. In her research and teaching, her main areas of interest are teacher education, literature discussion and the uses of informational texts in primary classrooms.

Dr. Lawrence G. Miller has been appointed as the new director of the Department of Educational Administration’s National Institute of Staff and Organization Development (NISOD). Miller comes to The University of Texas at Austin from the University of Tennessee, where he was director of continuing education for the College of Medicine. His experience in higher education includes serving as chief academic officer for Snead State Community College in Alabama, vice president for institutional advancement at Chattanooga State Community College and president of American InterContinental University’s Washington, D.C., campus. 

Miller began his career in education at Austin Community College, where he headed the district's television production area for four years. His Texas connection also includes previous experience with NISOD. As a doctoral student and Kellogg Fellow in the College of Education Miller worked for the Institute, providing conference support and assistance in membership relations. Each of Miler’s prior academic assignments has allowed him to use and strengthen his expertise in fundraising, media and online learning.

Dr. Mark O’Reilly is now chair of the Department of Special Education, having assumed the post previously held by Dr. Herb Rieth.  O’Reilly holds the Mollie Villaret Davis Professorship in Learning Disabilities and, since joining the university in 2002, has been a professor in special education. O’Reilly is responsible for having developed the graduate training emphasis in autism and developmental disabilities in the Department of Special Education and is author of around 350 peer-reviewed articles, chapters and books on topics like the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior, assistive technology and instructional design. His research focuses on educational practices and supports for children with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. Recently, he conducted studies with a distinguished international team of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experts that indicate two frequently employed autism treatment methods are ineffective.

Dr. John Bartholomew has been named interim chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, taking over for Dr. John Ivy. Bartholomew is a Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Faculty Fellow, a professor in kinesiology and health education, and director of the Exercise and Sport Psychology Laboratory. His research centers on the impact of exercise on mental health, with a special focus on the use of single bouts of exercise to improve mood and reduce reactivity to stress. His newest project recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health.

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910