Cheryl Hunter named interim dean of UND College of Education & Human Development

UND Provost Eric Link has selected Cheryl Hunter, professor of education, health & behavior, as the interim dean for the College of Education & Human Development. Hunter has worked within the College for 12 years.

“I’m grateful for Dr. Hunter’s willingness to serve as interim dean for the College of Education & Human Development,” Link said.

“She brings experience, vision and a desire to serve the students, staff and faculty of the College during this time of transition. Dr. Hunter will provide great leadership in the coming months as the College conducts a national search for its next dean.”

During her time as the interim dean, Hunter’s immediate objectives will be to:

• Prepare the College of Education & Human Development for a smooth transition of leadership to a new long-term dean.
• Assist with the first-year transition for the CEHD’s new cohort of colleagues.
• Bolster shared governance in policy and process.
• Advance the work of CEHD within the framework of the UND LEADS strategic plan.

“I’ve called CEHD my academic home for 12 years and am excited to support our dedicated staff and faculty, the strong research trajectory we are building, and the excellence across all of our academic programs,” Hunter said.

“Our world-class alumni are already making a difference in their professional fields, and I am looking forward to continuing to share how CEHD faculty, staff and students positively impact North Dakota, the region and our global community.”

Hunter will assume her new duties on Aug. 16, and will serve until the permanent dean is named and in place. The CEHD Dean Search Committee is being chaired by Brian Pappas, dean of the UND School of Law, and will be assisted by executive search firm Academic Search in the process. It is anticipated that the next permanent dean will be named by Jan. 1, 2024, or soon thereafter.

About Cheryl Hunter

Hunter is a field-based education researcher with interests in qualitative methods and design, critical ethnography, curriculum and instruction, gender equity, and experiential education in non-formal education settings. In collaboration with Dr. Joshua Hunter, Hunter helped start the GRO Learning Gardens, which were established on campus to develop ecological literacy and a sense of place in local schools and communities through sustainable garden education.

During her time at UND, Hunter developed an open-access platform, In the Field, for learning about field-based qualitative research methods that are experiential, embodied, and interpretive to share content and support a deeper understanding of field-based research design and methods.

Hunter received her Ph.D. in History, Philosophy and Policy Studies at Indiana University with a concentration in International and Comparative Education and a focus on qualitative research methodologies. As a Spencer Foundation Fellow at Indiana University, she worked closely with Sociology faculty exploring education policy as well as the use of narrative methodologies.

Hunter was a post-doctoral research fellow at Cleveland Clinic College of Medicine, focusing on the areas of curriculum design and instruction, research design, and the use qualitative assessment within the framework of medical education. Her background in education policy, non-formal education settings and critical qualitative methodology have produced scholarly works in the areas of gender and equity, experiential education, and curriculum and instruction in non-formal education settings, as well as the teaching of field-based and community-based, participatory qualitative research methods.

About the College of Education & Human Development

The College of Education & Human Development is the largest and most comprehensive education college in the state of North Dakota. It is consistently recognized for excellence in on-campus and online professional graduate and undergraduate education and educational research and is ranked by U.S. News & World Report for offering top online Education programs.

The College advances research, teaching and learning through an intentional focus on problem solving and integration of theory and practice to develop equitable outcomes which foster local and global impacts on a diverse and complex society. The College’s expanded curricular offerings for creative learning and continuing education enhance quality of life for North Dakota citizens.

Since 2011, College of Education & Human Development faculty have generated more than $9 million dollars in extramural research grants from funding organizations including the Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Science Foundation.