Announcing Dr. Ryan Gildersleeve as Associate Dean at the Morgridge College of Education

I am excited to announce that Dr. Ryan Gildersleeve has accepted the role of Associate Dean at the Morgridge College of Education, effective August 1, 2020. Please join me in congratulating Ryan on his new role and welcoming him to our leadership team.

As you may know, Ryan joined the Morgridge faculty team in 2012. He was promoted to Professor of Higher Education in 2018, and he previously served as the Program Coordinator and Department Chair for the Higher Education Department from 2013-18.

Throughout his roles in the college, Ryan’s commitment to equity, inclusive excellence, and justice has become evident in both his scholarship and instruction. His leadership in these areas has been pivotal to both the Higher Education Department and the college, engaging students in research, policy, and practice to understand and transform education systems.

Ryan’s work has been active in local, national and international contexts. During his recent sabbatical, he spent time as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Spencer Foundation in Chicago, a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Higher Education Futures in Denmark, and a Visiting Scholar-in-Residence for Equity and Inclusion at Colorado Mountain College. At the University of Denver (DU) campus, he has contributed significantly to efforts related to DU Impact 2025, the Morgridge Appointments, Promotion and Tenure Committee, and serves as the Morgridge liaison to the Center for Professional Development.

Ryan is also the Executive Editor of About Campus, the leading practitioner-focused journal in higher education/student affairs. Currently, he is co-editing a book tentatively titled, “Transforming the University: New academic realities, new institutional hope” with international contributors from the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education Society.

Prior to becoming a faculty member, Ryan’s practical experience focused largely in out-of-classroom learning contexts, including elementary after-school learning programs, K-12 summer bridge and college outreach programs, postsecondary residential education, and student leadership development. His research broadly focuses on educational opportunity and historically marginalized groups, contributing to research in the philosophy of higher education, critical policy studies, and critical qualitative research methodologies. His research has engaged significantly with Latinx (im)migrant communities.

From 2012-14, Ryan was also a National Academy of Education Fellow, and he received the 2011 American Educational Research Association Early Career Award from Division D – Research Methodology. He earned his Artium Baccalaureus in Theater from Occidental College and his Master’s in Higher Education and Organizational Change and his PhD in Education from University of California, Los Angeles.

Given Ryan’s vast leadership experiences in higher education, research and inclusive excellence, we are thrilled to have him. In his new role, Ryan will be a key member of the college’s existing leadership team.

Please join me again in congratulating Ryan.

– Dean Karen Riley