Shirley Lefever-Davis
Shirley Lefever-Davis has been named interim dean of the College of Education effective June 9, according to Keith Pickus, interim provost at 黑洞社区.
Lefever-Davis will be interim dean for the 2013-2014 academic year while a national search is conducted for a permanent dean.
The change was necessitated when Sharon Iorio, the current dean, announced she will step down as dean at the end of this fiscal year and begin a phased retirement for two years. Iorio has served as dean for the past six years.
鈥淒r. Lefever-Davis鈥� experience, derived from being department chair and associate dean, will enable her to step into the interim dean role with minimal difficulty,鈥� said Pickus. 鈥淚n addition, she has leadership skills that will serve her well in this position.鈥�
Lefever-Davis is currently senior associate dean and professor in the College of Education, with responsibility for assessment and accreditation.
She came to Wichita State in July 2005 to serve as department chair for curriculum and instruction. She was named associate dean for the College of Education with responsibility for undergraduate programs in 2008 and moved to the senior associate dean position in 2012.
Lefever-Davis received her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from Kansas State University in 1991. Her master鈥檚 and bachelor鈥檚 degrees also are from KSU.
She serves on the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Association of Teacher Educators Commission for Graduate Education, and was on the Board of Directors for the Association of Teacher Educators from 2009-2012.
Prior to coming to Wichita State, Lefever-Davis gained experience in higher education with 14 years at the University of Arkansas, where she was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award for the College of Education and Health Professions in 1996.
She has presented and published on a range of topics, including Professional Development Schools, early literacy and strategies to promote the literacy development of English language learners and struggling readers.