Provost Rhonda Lenton has issued this message to the York University community:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Ron Owston as interim dean of the Faculty of Education for an 18-month term, commencing immediately. Professor Owston is well known to colleagues at York and in the Faculty of Education. He joined York in 1984, and was promoted to full professor in 1999. He holds degrees from Concordia University (BSc), the University of New Brunswick (BEd, MEd), and the University of Ottawa (PhD). Professor Owston enjoys an outstanding reputation at York and internationally for his leadership and expertise in the use of technology in education.
Ron Owston
Professor Owston has served in a wide variety of leadership and administrative roles at the University that will have prepared him well to undertake the position of interim dean. He has served as director of the In-Service BEd program and as co-director of the Office of Technology Enhanced Learning. From 1992-1994, he was associate dean (field development) in the Faculty of Education, and he played an important role in the development of the Education doctoral program. He chaired the Senate Academic Policy and Planning Committee in 1990-1991 and the Senate Academic Computing Committee from 1998-2000. In 2007, he was named as University professor in recognition of his contributions to the institution.
Most recently, he served as the founding director of the Institute for Research on Learning Technologies and co-director of the Seneca/York Technology Enhanced Learning Institute, and he also serves as a member of the Academic Technology Advisory Group guiding the development of York’s eLearning strategy.
I am very grateful to Professor Owston for agreeing to serve as interim dean of the Faculty of Education, and I look forward to working with him in the coming months.