Last month, the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s board of trustees named Van O. Dempsey III as the new dean of the Watson College of Education.
 
Dempsey will assume the post on July 1, according to a release.
 
“Van’s extensive experience in the field as a faculty member and as an administrator stood out to the committee during the search process,” said Martin Posey, search committee chairman and associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate studies. “His background, skills and leadership expertise will significantly contribute to the college, and the university’s, continued success.”
 
Dempsey currently serves as vice president for institutional assessment and effectiveness at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia, where he oversaw the assessment of academic programs and the evaluation of strategic initiatives. He previously served as the dean of the school of education, health and human performance at FSU and has also been on faculty at West Virginia University.
 
He will succeed Ken Teitelbaum, who will become a professor in the department of instructional technology, foundations and secondary education, after serving as dean from 2011 to 2015.
 
Dempsey has a Ph.D. in social and cultural foundations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before entering the field of higher education he also taught at high schools in Fayetteville and Pittsboro.
 
“The Watson College of Education is positioned to serve as a critical partner ... that can have a direct impact on the quality of people’s lives,” Dempsey said. “I am eager to join an institution as esteemed as UNCW and to begin working with the students, faculty and staff of Watson College and across campus, and with others in the community.”