College of Education and Health Professions Announces Administrative Appointments

Administrators appointed to five interim positions in the College of Education and Health Professions have accepted offers to remain in the positions, announced Tom Smith, dean of the college.

"Following an internal search, the college offered these five individuals the opportunity to continue the high-quality work they have been doing to move us forward," Smith said.

The appointments are effective for the fall semester. The administrators and their positions:

• Michael T. Miller, associate dean for academic affairs. Miller, a professor of higher education, formerly served as head of the department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders. While department head, Miller also served as coordinator of the higher education leadership program. Before joining the faculty in 2003, his previous positions included associate dean of the College of Education at San Jose State University and director of the higher education program at the University of Alabama. He earned a Doctor Education degree from the University of Nebraska and master's and bachelor's degrees from Southern Illinois University.
• Janet Penner-Williams, assistant dean for academic affairs. Penner-Williams, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, formerly taught in the curriculum and instruction department and coordinated the college's accreditation process with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. She formerly served as assistant superintendent for instruction at Pearland (Texas) Independent School District. She holds a Doctor of Education degree and master's and bachelor's degrees, all from the University of Houston.
• Craig Edmonston, assistant dean for administration. Edmonston formerly served as director of the university's intramural/recreational sports department for 31 years. When he started in 1978, he was believed to be the youngest campus recreation director in the country. He holds several professional certifications and has served on numerous university, community and national boards and committees. He earned a master's degree from the University of Kansas and a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University.
• Fran Hagstrom, head, department of rehabilitation, human resources and communication disorders. Hagstrom, an associate professor of communication disorders, has also served as coordinator of the communication disorders program and on the college's Honors Council, mentoring several honors students each year. She formerly taught at the University of Houston and Smith College. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Clark University, master's degrees from the University of Texas Health Science Center and St. Louis University and a bachelor's degree from Southwest Baptist University.
• Jeremy Battjes, director of intramural/recreational sports. Battjes served as a senior associate director of the department for three years and joined the department a year and a half before that. He formerly taught third grade and holds several professional certifications in recreation. He earned a master's degree from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University.

Several retirements last year necessitated the searches.