Dr. Hanfu Mi named Dean of the UIS College of Education & Human Services

Dr. Hanfu Mi, chair of the Department of Elementary Education and Reading at the State University of New York at Oneonta, has been named Dean of the College of Education & Human Services (EHS) at the University of Illinois Springfield, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

"My enthusiasm and eagerness to join the EHS and UIS communities have been enhanced by the clearly defined university vision of Leadership lived. I am so looking forward to making contributions, together with UIS administration, faculty, staff, and students,” said Mi.

Mi holds a Ph.D. in Reading Education, with associated emphases in English Literature and Linguistics and in Educational Research and Measurement, from the University of South Carolina. He has been on the faculty at the State University of New York at Oneonta since 1998.

“I am so pleased that Dr. Mi will be our new Dean of the College of Education & Human Services. The Search Committee’s assessment of Dr. Mi’s strengths as a candidate included an appreciation for his extensive and successful administrative experience, commitment to a servant leadership model, ability to promote collaborative solutions to complex challenges, and appreciation for and leadership of online teaching and learning initiatives,” said Dr. Lynn Pardie, UIS Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Mi’s record of scholarship includes publications and presentations on a variety of topics involving social and cultural aspects of language and instruction, and he has extensive experience serving as a program reviewer for the International Reading Association and National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education. Mi is a member of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers and the International Reading Association. He has received a number of academic honors and awards, including the honorary title of Distinguished Professor in China.

"The location where UIS is situated affords itself the potential to assume a leadership position to promote the diversification, globalization, and internationalization in American higher education,” said Mi. “UIS is a young, vibrant, and intellectually stimulating institution with so much creative energy and so many possibilities for ongoing development of innovative curricula and academic programs.”

Mi’s appointment as Dean of the UIS College of Education and Human Services will begin on July 1, 2013. For more information, contact Derek Schnapp, UIS director of public relations at 217/206-6716 or email dschn3@uis.edu.