St. Davids, PA: Eastern University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Susan Edgar-Smith as the new Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Edgar-Smith formerly led Eastern’s graduate program in Counseling Psychology for over a decade. She was officially appointed to the position of Dean in April and will assume her new role on September 1, 2017.
Eastern University’s College of Education is one of the leading private university Education programs in the state of Pennsylvania. The College offers associate, bachelor's, four different master's degrees, and plans to add a doctoral program in 2018. Students in the program can attain certifications in Early Childhood, all nine Middle Level options that are offered by the state, six Secondary Ed content areas, Special Education, Health and Physical Education, Music, Reading, ESL, as well as Supervisor, Principal, and Certifications.
“I feel especially privileged and excited to continue my journey at Eastern as the Dean of the College of Education,” Dr. Edgar-Smith said of the appointment. “I look forward to the opportunity to team with the talented faculty and staff within the College, to deliver high-quality, technology-savvy educator training programs, and expand our delivery models so that we can train more students. I believe that by looking both inward and outward we will be able to create success in broadening the impact of Eastern University and the College of Education.”
Dr. Edgar-Smith received her bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development from Connecticut College. She later went on to Bryn Mawr College to earn her master’s in Human Development and her PhD in Clinical Developmental Psychology. She is currently in her eleventh year of full-time tenure-track faculty work at Eastern and assumed the role of co-Chair of the department of Graduate Counseling Psychology in 2011. She has also served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association of School Psychology Board since June 2015. Throughout her professional development, Dr. Edgar-Smith has taken particular interest in the areas of educational psychology, adolescent family processes, childhood abuse and neglect, and family relational values; all of which she has written on extensively in various scholarly publications and discussed at numerous conference presentations. She is a licensed Pennsylvania Psychologist as well as a Green Cross Compassion Fatigue Educator and holds a certification in School Psychology.
As Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Edgar-Smith plans to continue the already innovative programming established by interim Dean, Dr. Harry Gutelius and fellow education faculty members. In addition to these, she also hopes to expand programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as there is a high demand for these trained professionals in the current workspace. As a trained psychologist, she also plans to bring a brain-based, trauma focused approach to the College’s programs and hopes to highlight training in Early Childhood and Autism instruction, supervision and support.
