AUM College of Education dean named Impact Academy fellow
Derrick Smith, dean of the College of Education at Auburn University at Montgomery, has been named a 2024 Impact Academy fellow through the national non-profit organization Deans for Impact (DFI).
“It is a great honor to be counted among this year’s DFI cohort,” Smith said. “This year’s cohort is composed of academic leaders from around the country, and I look forward to growing professionally along with them.”
Smith joins a cohort of leaders selected for their dedication to enhancing educator preparation. He is among 17 leaders named in the fellowship’s ninth cohort, which includes leaders primarily from minority-serving higher education institutions.
“As a new dean, this fellowship will allow me to learn and network with other successful deans,” said Smith, who joined AUM in January 2024. “The fellowship is composed of a diverse group of leaders from many different types of universities and institutions, and I look forward to learning from them all.”
Educator-preparation programs today face complex challenges as they recruit and prepare teachers who are equipped to engage all pre-K-12 students in rigorous, equitable, and affirming learning experiences. More than ever, the field needs leaders who can strengthen and diversify the educator workforce. DFI aims to fill this need through its Impact Academy fellowship, which has empowered more than 130 dean-level leaders to-date with skills, knowledge, and strategies to prioritize instructional quality and build more equitable systems of teaching and learning.
“Through this academy, I will be able to learn and develop new approaches to not only grow our college but also better serve the diverse needs of our students,” Smith said. “As the Dean of the College of Education at AUM, there are many challenges that my college, faculty, staff, students, and I face that is unique to our field. This fellowship will support me to develop a strategic plan for the college as I am guided and supported by the experience and knowledge from other deans of colleges of education.”
Fellows will participate in monthly learning sessions, receive one-on-one coaching from seasoned leaders, and engage in peer consultancies to address field-facing challenges in real-time. They will hone their ability to engage faculty, staff, communities, and pre-K-12 partners in a shared vision for transformative change, grounded in a deep scientific understanding about how students learn.
“All students, and particularly students of color and students from underserved communities, deserve access to teachers who are well-prepared to engage them in rigorous and affirming learning experiences from day one,” said Valerie Sakimura, executive director of DFI. “We are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of leaders to Impact Academy who are committed to making that a reality, by doubling down on the essential role they play in making pathways into teaching more accessible, practice-based, and focused on evidence-based instruction.”
