Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education - History

History

See also: History of Arizona State University

Arizona State University was established in 1885 as the Territorial Normal School at Tempe in the Arizona Territory. The Normal School was charged with providing "instruction of persons, both male and female, in the art of teaching, and in all the various branches that pertain to a good common school education; also, to give instruction in the mechanical arts and in husbandry and agricultural chemistry, in the fundamental law of the United States, and in what regards the rights and duties of citizens." An effort by the alumni association changed the name of the institution to Tempe State Teachers College in 1925, and offered its first graduate degree, the Masters in Education, in 1937. Although courses were offered in other academic and professional disciplines, the school remained fundamentally a teachers college until 1945 when it was renamed Arizona State College.

In 1954, the Arizona Board of Regents established four colleges within the institution: Liberal Arts, Education, Applied Arts and Sciences, and Business and Public Administration. Under the leadership of ASU President Grady Gammage, deans were appointed to oversee the administration of each new college.

Guy D. McGrath was appointed as the founding dean of ASU’s College of Education, serving from 1954 to 1968. The college remained focused on teacher preparation until the mid-1980s, when Dean Gladys Styles Johnston, as part of the institution’s efforts to achieve Carnegie's Research I status, recruited and appointed some of the nation’s top education scholars, including Thomas Barone, David Berliner, Gene V Glass, and Mary Lee Smith. Currently, Barone, Berliner, Glass and Smith are emeritus education professors at ASU.

David C. Berliner was appointed as dean in 1997 and began a massive effort to hire new faculty. Berliner recruited Gene V Glass to serve as his associate dean for research and Gale Hackett as his associate dean for academic programs and personnel. Berliner and Glass, both former presidents of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), successfully leveraged their high visibility as education researchers to build the faculty of the College of Education. By the end of his tenure as dean, Berliner had been responsible for hiring approximately 25% of the college faculty, primarily exceptional junior scholars. Berliner and Glass were outspoken critics of the state’s education policies; by taking their criticisms and concerns to the public, they created some irritation among state lawmakers and especially the state superintendent of public instruction, Lisa Graham Keegan. Berliner hired a number of progressive faculty who believed in public advocacy, further aggravating lawmakers and future superintendents, such as conservative Tom Horne.

Eugene Garcia was recruited to serve as the college’s next dean in 2002, having just finished a successful run as the dean of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education. Garcia continued to build the college’s national ranking and status with the addition of new faculty talent, increased external research funding, and increased faculty and student diversity. In 2003, Garcia was given the additional role of Vice President for University-School Partnerships in which he coordinated university-wide K-12 education efforts. Under Garcia’s leadership, the College of Education obtained a generous $50 million endowment from Mary Lou Fulton, an ASU College of Education alumna and successful Arizona businesswoman. In 2006. Garcia continued the college’s engagement in state policy debates, and also worked within the state’s education leadership to improve policy decisions. He was appointed by Governor Janet Napolitano to serve on the state’s ELL Task Force, a working group charged with implementing new state law regarding the education of English language learners. Garcia maintained his position as a university vice president after he stepped down from the deanship in 2006.

George Hynd was appointed as dean and senior vice provost for education and innovation in January, 2008, serving for two years. The economic downturn of that year resulted in large budget reductions for the university. In response, the university reorganized several units, including education. The name of the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education was changed to the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education (FIGSE), with a new mission to focus exclusively on research and graduate education programs. All undergraduate teacher education programs across the various campuses of the university were consolidated under the College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL). CTEL, headquartered on the West campus, was originally established to meet the needs of teacher education in the West valley.

George Hynd resigned in December, 2009, to serve as provost of the College of Charleston. He was succeeded by interim dean Jim Rund. Rund served as interim dean for one semester, overseeing the disestablishment of FIGSE in May, 2010. In addition, Rund continued serving in his prior position as ASU Senior Vice President for Educational Outreach and Student Services.

Berliner and Glass retired when FIGSE was distablished in spring, 2010; Garcia retired a year later as vice president for schools and community relations. They continue to serve as emeritus professors.