College of Education loses dean; interim named

Gerry Giordano, dean of Utah State University‚s College of Education and Human Services, has accepted an offer from the University of North Florida to become the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. He will begin his new position this summer.

Utah State President Kermit L. Hall named Dr. Carol Strong, Utah State‚s current College of Education and Human Services‚ associate dean of research and trustee professor, as interim dean while a search committee is formed to hire Giordano’s replacement.

“Gerry has fashioned a strong record of leadership in research, development and national recognition,” Hall said. “Indeed, no college at Utah State is higher ranked than the College of Education and Human Services and for that success, we owe Gerry a round of applause.

A reception for Giordano is May 20 in the Haight Alumni Center at Utah State. Faculty, staff and friends of the college are invited to honor Giordano and his wife, Karen, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. A short program will take place at 2 p.m.

Giordano has served as the college’s dean since 1998, and over the past six years U.S. News and World Report named the college as one of the nation‚s top 50 colleges. Now at number 38 under Giordano‚s leadership, the college has also become the fourth best externally funded college of education. “My time in the College of Education and Human Services was a time of great professional growth and personal enrichment,” Giordano said. “I will deeply miss the relationships, at many levels, that I‚ve made with stellar students, faculty, staff and alumni and friends of the college. Strong received her Ed.D from Utah State in Research and Evaluation in 1989, her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology at University of Illinois in 1972, and her bachelor‚s in Speech Pathology from Utah State in 1971.

“With Carol Strong, we have an experienced administrator familiar with and committed to the success of the college,” Hall said.

An active professor, leader, researcher and scholar, Strong has taught at Utah State since 1976, and she has held numerous administrative and faculty positions. She has authored, co-authored, presented or written 86 publications in various magazines, referred journals and annual reports, abstracts and been invited to present at 50 national and international conferences or programs.

Also, since her arrival, Strong has been nominated and received over 45 professional and student-sponsored honors, including Outstanding Scholar/Researcher of the Year, Eldon J. Gardner Professor of the Year and Robins‚ Award recipient for Professor of the Year.

The university search committee will begin its search this month with Strong serving as interim until the position is filled.