Education Dean Named Provost at UMass

Posted on April 5, 2024

The dean of the School of Education has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Provost Christopher Clemens announced in an email April 4.

Fouad Abd-El-Khalick played an essential role in elevating the School of Education’s impact in North Carolina. Under his leadership, the school experienced a 26 percent increase in enrollment of students from North Carolina.

Abd-El-Khalick oversaw substantial growth of the school’s research, increasing total expenditures from $5.7 million to $22.2 million. In 2022, he led the launch of the Carolina Community Academy, a K–2 laboratory school in partnership with Person County Schools. The school is designed to increase student success by teaching skills such as emotional regulation, anger management, friendship and problem-solving skills on top of their regular class work, according to their website.

Abd-El-Khalick’s efforts extended beyond traditional educational boundaries with initiatives such as the Pathway to Practice NC program, an online teacher licensure program developed in collaboration with N.C. State University. The program lessens the state’s educator shortage by providing a flexible pathway for licensure.

“The past eight years at Carolina and the School of Education have been a highlight of my career,” Abd-El-Khalick told UNC Media Relations. “I am grateful for all the support and kindness that the Carolina community and the state have shown our family over these years. We will always have a special place in our hearts and minds for the people and place that is Carolina.”

Clemens announced he will name an interim leader in the coming weeks and a national search will begin for a new dean.