John W. Murry, Jr., Named Associate Dean of College of Education and Health Professions

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - John W. Murry, Jr., has been named Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies and Faculty Development of the UA’s College of Education and Health Professions. Murry succeeds Reed Greenwood, who was appointed dean of the college. Murry also serves as interim head of the Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling and Foundations, where he has been a faculty member since 1994.

"John Murry brings the experiences of a rich academic and professional life to this challenging position," Greenwood said. "He has earned the respect of his colleagues and will be a valuable asset to the college’s leadership team."

Prior to obtaining his doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas, Murry had earned both a master’s in business administration and a law degree from the U of A. For more than ten years, his professional career encompassed the legal, tax and business management fields. Since then he has been a member of the faculty at Mesa State College, Grand Junction, Colo., and Henderson State College, Arkadelphia, before joining the UA’s College of Education and Health Professions.

Murry has conducted numerous professional workshops and presentations nationally and internationally and is a regular contributor to scholarly journals on educational legal issues and the processes of leading change in colleges and universities. Murry also has consulted with school districts and education departments around the U.S. on issues of education law, providing training to faculty and administrators on legal issues they face in their role as educators.

He is currently engaged in final preparation of a book with co-author Christopher J. Lucas for St. Martin’s Press. Entitled New Faculty: A Practical Primer for Academic Neophytes, the work focuses on new faculty development.

"I’ve been impressed by the scope and quality of research conducted by faculty in the college," Murry said. "I look forward to working with such outstanding professionals to extend the research of veteran faculty and develop new scholars in education and health."

In addition to teaching graduate level courses in higher education, Murry has engaged in research on management and legal issues in higher education institutions. In spring 2001, he was part of the faculty team that received a $290,000 grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation. Along with assistant professor Gary Ritter, the principal investigator, and associate professor Sean Mulvenon, Murry will study the implementation of accountability programs in public education.