The University of Connecticut has named Morgaen L. Donaldson, a renowned scholar of educational leadership and policy, as the next Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair.

This fall, the Neag School welcomes its incoming hires, congratulates existing faculty members on new appointments, and celebrates the first full academic year with its dean, Jason G. Irizarry, and his newly appointed leadership team.

This summer, the Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) at UConn’s Neag School of Education convened more than 50 principals, assistant principals, educators, and school district leaders from across the state of Connecticut to coach them on fostering social, emotional, and behavioral well-being and safe school environments.

Imagine a group of students not quite out of high school dedicating a considerable chunk of summer break to such activities as interpreting data, carrying out diagnostic coding, and reviewing academic literature — and loving every minute of it.

Thanks to the Young Scholars Senior Summit (YSSS), a three-week program hosted by UConn since 2018 and funded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, this was the reality for select rising seniors from across the country this past July.

Provost Carl Lejuez announced today that Jason Irizarry has been named dean of the Neag School of Education for a five-year term. Irizarry will be the first Latino dean to lead the Neag School.

Six UConn students have been selected as recipients of a grant through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for the 2021-22 academic year. The program provides grants for individually-designed study and research projects or for English teaching assistantships around the world. Students meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences.

A group of UConn researchers have received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a network to address knowledge gaps on the topic of emotional well-being, an emerging public health concern. This project is one of six, totaling more than $3.13 million in year one funding from the NIH.

Neag School assistant professor of learning sciences, Ido Davidesco, has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a month-long computational thinking unit in high school biology classes. Davidesco will work with Neag School colleagues Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Christopher Rhoads, and John Settlage, as well as Aaron Kyle from Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Watch the virtual 2021 UConn Commencement ceremony, featuring remarks from four-time Neag School alumnus and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Thanks to 889 individuals, the Neag School of Education garnered more than $50,000 in contributions during this spring’s annual Giving Day at UConn.