Jayne Fleener will take over her position as the dean of the College of Education at the end of the month. Fleener is the College of Education dean at Louisiana State University, and is coming to N.C. State with more than 20 years of educational experience.

Technician: What is it like returning to North Carolina?

Fleener: Returning to N.C. is a bit like coming home, but it is also a new adventure. Places and people change over the years and my position at NCSU will be different from what it was as a teacher and student during the 11 years I spent [in North Carolina] in the late 70’s and 80’s. It will be a new adventure especially as I become acclimated to the Raleigh area and the many opportunities I will have to work with a variety of different people both inside and affiliated with the University.

T: What are you looking forward to at N.C. State?

F: I am very excited about working with world-class faculty, students and colleagues at NCSU. The College of Education already has an outstanding reputation and a long history of excellence that I am hoping to advance. The dean’s role is to tell our story, to push the college to greater heights, and to develop and support a community of scholars and students as they pursue excellence and make a difference in the world, creating and shaping possible worlds of the future.

T: Along with ‘developing and supporting a community of scholars,’ what other things must the College of Education dean be held responsible for?

F: I also think the dean has a responsibility to bring in resources, to work collaboratively with colleagues on and off campus, and to contribute to the well-being of the larger university and state system.  

T: What do you hope to achieve at this University?

F: I am excited because of the outstanding opportunities for advancing education and outreach in North Carolina and because of the support the citizens of N.C. have provided for education at all levels. With that support comes the responsibility and stewardship to uphold the ideals and confidence the legislature and citizens of N.C. have bestowed upon us. As a land-grant university, our mission and our work through our teaching, research and engagements serve the entire state. I am looking forward to meeting a variety of our constituents throughout the state and learning how the NCSU College of Education can better serve and fulfill our mission. At the same time, I am excited about the role the College of Education and the entire campus community plays in serving our global communities.

T: N.C. State has 2,000 students enrolled in the College of Education, producing the most math, science and technology educators in the state, what are your thoughts on taking the college to even greater heights?

F: NCSU is truly a great university that understands its dual mission to serve the citizens of the state and to be a national and international player in a global environment. Our greatest resource is our ability to shape the future through the knowledge, creativity, and passions of our students. We all touch the future through the difference we make in the time we have on Earth and through the students whose lives we influence and passions we nurture so they too can see the future as an opening for hope and possibility.