About Dean Kochan
 From the kindergarten classroom to the dean's office, Dr. Frances Kochan's 40-plus-year career in education has included nearly every level possible at which an educator can serve. Currently the dean of education for Auburn University's College of Education, Dr. Kochan oversees all aspects of the college, which includes four academic departments and more than 150 faculty and staff. With traditionally more than 2,300 students each semester, the NCATE-accredited
 college hosts the university's largest graduate enrollment and fifth-largest undergraduate enrollment.
A member of the college's faculty since 1994, Dr. Kochan's appointment as dean in July 2005 makes her only the fifth dean—and first female—to serve in the post. She is a tenured Wayne T. Smith distinguished professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology. During her service to the college, she has held the titles of associate professor, professor, Truman Pierce Institute director, associate dean for administration and interim dean. As director of the Truman Pierce Institute, she established and coordinated university, community and private partnerships for teacher training and curriculum improvement in local schools—most notably in Alabama's Black Belt region. Dr. Kochan's professional background includes experience as a classroom teacher, principal and assistant superintendent prior to her faculty experiences at Auburn and Florida State University.
Internationally known for her expertise in mentoring, Kochan has written articles on the teacher as a researcher and has published book chapters on family and school relationships and middle school organizational change. Her major research interests are barriers to organizational change and school and university collaboration, which are also topics of her frequent speaking requests.
|
