The Lynch School of Education recently announced that it would be adding three new professors each year for the next three years, for a total of nine new hires by 2019. This increased recruitment of faculty is in response to a series of retirements among the Lynch faculty, according to Dean of LSOE Stanton Wortham.
In deciding who to hire, Wortham pointed to three essential criteria: quality, diversity, and sense of community. It is of course essential that the Lynch School seek top-quality educators, but also that these instructors are versatile and understand the constantly-changing field of education.
The Lynch School is also looking to hire faculty from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This is a commendable approach to filling the vacancies that will contribute to the creation of a more inclusive campus and a better representation of minority perspectives in the field of education at Boston College. Andres Castro Samayoa and Jon Wargo, two professors who have already accepted offers to teach at the University, have done research on Hispanic-serving institutions and the intersections of language and literacy education, technology, and cultural studies, respectively. Diversified research such as this will help the Lynch School to expand its academic program and to make strides in new sectors of the broad spectrum of education.
While the Lynch School is not expanding in size, the hiring of nine new professors represents an advantageous introduction of fresh ideas and perspectives to the institution. Because the field of education is always changing, it is important that the University look to bring in professors that understand the modern context of education. Furthermore, as education in the U.S. continues to shift to better represent minority populations, so too should the makeup of faculty at educational schools such as Lynch nationwide. Therefore, Lynch’s decision to recruit diverse faculty members is a crucial step in improving the school’s effectiveness and progress in the modern world.
