The University of North Florida named Stephen Dittmore as dean of the College of Education and Human Services, effective July 22.
He will oversee the college’s faculty, staff and students as well as academic programs, centers and labs.
Jennifer Kane, interim dean for the past two years, will transition back to her role as associate dean of Academic and Student Affairs.
“Steve brings a wealth of diverse experience and expertise to this role. His extensive experience in higher education administration at Arkansas, a leading research institution, will benefit UNF as we look to grow our research initiatives and become a destination of choice for students and faculty,” UNF President Moez Limayem said in a news release.
Dittmore previously was dean and professor of the College of Education and Health Sciences at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, where he provided strategic leadership to a newly formed college with eight academic departments. Before that, he served in various roles from assistant professor to associate dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas from 2008 to 2022.
Dittmore’s work includes issues related to intercollegiate athletic administration, UNF said. His primary academic research areas include the role of athletics within higher education, Olympic and college sport policy and governance, government regulation of sport broadcasting and baseball history.
Dittmore received a doctorate in educational leadership and organizational development from the University of Louisville in Kentucky and a master’s in mass communication and a bachelor’s in news-editorial journalism from Drake University in Iowa.