Francisco Rios named education dean at Western Washington U.
Western Washington University
May 16, 2011
Francisco Rios has been appointed to serve as dean for the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University, Provost Catherine Riordan announced today.
“I am absolutely delighted to be able to announce that Dr. Francisco Rios will become the next dean of Woodring College of Education. His experience as a faculty member, academic administrator and educational leader on the national scene has prepared him well for this position. We all found his passion for the work of Woodring College – and the opportunity to build on the college’s strengths and to hone an inclusive vision for the future – to be truly exciting,” Riordan said.
Rios, professor and chair of the Educational Studies Department in the College of Education and founding director of the Social Justice Research Center at the University of Wyoming, is a nationally known figure in the field of multi-cultural education. He will begin at Western on or before Sept. 1, 2011, and was selected following a national search. He will succeed Stephanie Salzman, who has retired from Western.
“I’m honored to have been chosen for the position of dean of Woodring College of Education. The outstanding reputation of Western Washington University and of Woodring College drew me to apply for the position. The quality of work and the commitment of the faculty and staff to address the most substantial issues facing education led me to accept the invitation for this position. I’m especially looking forward to strengthening existing school-university partnerships in the region,” Rios said.
Rios received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has 30-plus years’ experience as a teacher, teacher-educator and administrator. He has worked with students of every grade level; with adults in a technical school as well as teacher education programs in California and Wyoming. He also has worked in two international education settings: the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile. He is the author or co-author of seven books and numerous scholarly publications.
