USC announced on twitter Monday that Thomas Hodges would take over as dean of the College of Education after serving as interim dean for 15 months.
As dean, Hodges plans to strengthen support systems within the college, expand outreach and increase diversity. He said in a written statement that he sees making people feel like they are valued as an important part of his job as dean.
“I said during the interview process that the college’s greatest asset is its people, and it always will be its people,” Hodges said. “In order for that to function well, we have to have a collective sense about where we are going, who we want to be, and who we intend to serve, and we have to understand our place and role within that."
Hodges began as an assistant professor at the College of Education in 2012. He has since served as an interim department chair of instruction and teacher education, the associate dean for academic affairs and the executive associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in addition to interim dean.
Outside of the university, Hodges served as a director of the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium and was appointed to the South Carolina Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force in August.
Donna Arnett, USC's provost and ececutive vice president for academic affairs, said in a written statement that after talking with leadership in the College of Education, they determined Hodges was the best candidate to lead the college forward.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Hodges to grow the research and teaching profile of the college, and to further lead the state of South Carolina’s education system forward in the coming years,” Arnett said.
Hodges will officially begin his term as dean on Oct. 15.