DR. YUNE KIM TRAN NAMED NEW DEAN OF SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES AT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
(Providence, R.I.) – Providence College announced today that Dr. Yune Kim Tran has been named the new dean of the School of Professional Studies (SPS). Tran will also hold the academic rank of professor elementary/special education with tenure. She will begin at PC in late August.
“I am excited for the opportunity to join the SPS, where a dedicated team of faculty and staff are committed to the academic excellence of professional programs with enriching field experiences that challenge students to think critically and serve a life of purpose in their careers and in their local or global communities,” Tran said. “Most important is being part of the PC family, where equity, diversity, and perspectives are embraced and valued. These intersections lead to the more thoughtful use of our talents and gifts for relevant praxis and meaningful work in my daily life.”
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Yune Kim Tran to the Providence College community and look forward to having her as part of the team,” said Sean Reid, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Her experience as a K-12 educator, her high-impact scholarship, and her past experience with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are well-suited for a leadership role in the School of Professional Studies.”
Tran will provide leadership to undergraduate programs in secondary and elementary/special education, health policy and management, and social work, as well as several graduate programs. Additionally, she will lead SPS strategic planning efforts, oversee specialized accreditation processes, and provide support to the SPS faculty and students.
She has been the associate dean of academic affairs at Montclair State University in New Jersey since 2018 where she led accreditation processes, curricular review, new program identification, and many other initiatives focused on faculty hiring, development, and advocacy.
Prior to Montclair State, Tran was a tenured associate professor of teacher education at George Fox University in Oregon, where she also served in several administrative roles including chair and director of the school’s undergraduate teacher education program, coordinator of the international student-teaching abroad program, and director of the faculty of color mentoring program. Earlier, Tran was a K-12 teacher and administrator at school districts in Florida, California, and Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree from Texas State University.
Her scholarly areas of interest include equity and access, teacher self-efficacy, teacher identity, and teacher education assessment. She has an extensive record of publications, which include co-authorship of the Handbook of Research on Equity in Computer Science in P-16 Education (2021), two book chapters, nine academic journal articles, and more than 15 conference proceedings. She also is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and workshops, and has a lengthy record of service to the departments and institutions at which she has been employed, as well as the communities in which she has lived.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,000 students, and offers degrees in 50 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.”
