News Release
July 18, 2016
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University of Washington Bothell appoints new dean to School of Educational Studies
BOTHELL, Washington — Ed Buendia has been appointed dean of the School of Educational Studies at University of Washington Bothell.
Buendia takes over Aug. 1, after current dean Bradley Portin goes on sabbatical. Upon his return Portin plans to continue training educators in the classroom.
Portin said Buendia “brings just the right focus and experience to help further establish our new work in undergraduate education and reimagine our graduate work for sustainability and continuous renewal of professional preparation.”
Buendia has been at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City since 1997, most recently as chair of the Department of Education, Culture and Society. He earned his doctorate in education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research as an educational sociologist has been in examining the shifts in racial and socioeconomic demographic change on suburban school districts. He also is interested in how schools and school districts navigate issues such as accountability and high stakes testing.
“I am drawn to the exciting work that students and faculty are engaged in within the region’s schools,” Buendia said. ”I’m looking forward to working with faculty, students and community partners on expanding the school’s offerings through additional online course offerings and programs.”
The School of Educational Studies was one of the first degree programs at UW Bothell, offering a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in 1990. Since then, the school has expanded its degree options to include a K-8 teacher certification, secondary and middle level teacher certification M.Ed.
Under Portin’s leadership the past seven years, the school has added two administrator preparation programs: Leadership Development for Educators and Expanded Capacity of Special Education Leadership. This year the school introduced a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies degree with an option for K-8 teacher certification, currently with over 100 declared majors.
Over the past 26 years more than 1,000 students have graduated from the school, and many are now teachers or principals at Puget Sound schools.
About UW Bothell: Ranked No. 1 in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest on Money magazine’s list of best colleges, UW Bothell provides access to an exceptional University of Washington education for students of tremendous potential. Offering more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, UW Bothell builds regional partnerships, inspires change, creates knowledge, shares discoveries and prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond.
