Danielle Dennis devoted to teacher advocacy, growing connections
New dean of URI’s Feinstein College of Education, Danielle Dennis aims to encourage students’ long learning. PHOTO CREDIT: uri.edu
The University of Rhode Island has named Danielle Dennis dean of the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies.
Dennis, a scholar of literacy education and professional development, began at URI in August 2019 as director of the School of Education. The University brought her in after a new state mandate prioritized teacher preparation and ongoing learning, according to Dennis.
Teacher education programs across the country have been dealing with declining enrollment for the last four or five years, according to Dennis. However, she explained that URI’s School of Education, located at the University’s Kingston Campus, has experienced an increase in enrollment.
“Students respect our program… and I think we do a really good job of working with school district partners,” Dennis said. “We [think] about how we can have a mutually beneficial relationship with the schools.”
Five months into her position as director, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
When COVID struck five months into her position as director, Dennis explained that her role evolved from program development to include being a leader in faculty support. From troubleshooting methods of online communication to defining what COVID meant in terms of school closure, Dennis stated that her perspective on the School of Education had changed.
“There was a lot of struggle around COVID, but… there was growth,” Diana Marshall, director of the Office of Teacher Education, said. “[Dennis] was a leader through these changes, and we’re lucky to have her as our leader through these new endeavors.”
According to Marshall, Dennis is an authority in clinical practice both nationally and internationally. During Dennis’ time as director, the National Council on Teacher Quality named URI’s undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs among the best in the country, according to the University’s website.
“[COVID] highlighted for me just how important [URI’s] partnerships are with the various schools and school districts that we work with,” Dennis said. “It [was] about understanding where we want to strengthen our partnerships . . . understanding that they don’t have to be the same in every district.”
With goals of building and strengthening school-University partnerships, Dennis hopes that the College of Education and Professional Studies will “emerge more as a leader in the state [of Rhode Island], not just in the preparation of new educators, but through scholarship.”
When R. Anthony Rolle stepped down as dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies in July 2021, former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald DeHayes chose Dennis as interim following an internal search that same month. Dennis attributed this appointment partially to her success with strengthening district partnerships and preparation programs.
While Dennis became familiar with the School of Education as director, she stated that as interim, she wanted to understand and work with the School of Professional Studies more. The School of Professional Studies is located on the University’s Providence Campus – separate from the School of Education in Kingston.
Now, as dean, Dennis is focusing on creating an “individual identity” for the Providence Campus, which means centering attention “specifically the urban communities.” Although this goal requires “a lot of change” for the College of Education and Professional Studies, Dennis views it as a “real opportunity” for advancement and expansion – for both faculty and students.
The initiatives and future plans for the College of Education and Professional Studies have been curated alongside the development of the 10-year Strategic Plan, according to Dennis. This plan, stipulated by President Marc Parlange and the rest of the University’s executive team, connects goals of diversity and inclusion, academic development and research across all colleges.
Director of the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI), Deborah Mathews, explained that the College of Education and Professional Studies has worked with OSI to create opportunities for students. Matthews stated that by offering dual and concurrent programs, highschool students can earn college credit through the College of Education and Professional Studies. Although OSI did not interact with Dennis’ specific teaching-based programs, the units worked to create the digital literacy program.
URI’s College of Education and Professional Studies, according to Dennis, is one of the few colleges that has a coordinator of global partnerships. This coordinator, Colleen Rossignol, expands student opportunity through global partnerships and programs within the college.
Moving forward, Dennis stated that the college is trying to develop firm global programs that are education-specific. The first program is this summer in Germany, and there is a J-term program scheduled for 2024 in the Dominican Republic, according to Dennis. The dean also is also looking forward to research projects located in Sierra Leone and Colombia.
“Teachers can be advocates for their students in the classroom,” Dennis said. “I think the way they learn how to do that is by having experts to guide them [and] help amplify the voices of children. I think all of these goals [for the College of Education and Professional Studies] will lead us to that bigger goal of that.”
Marshall believes that the School of Education is lucky to have Dennis as a “forward-thinker” in regards to her plans of deepenning district partnerships and movement towards a residency model, and sees Dennis’ change in positions as a furthered opportunity for the Alan Shawn Feinstein College.
“As interim I help[ed] our faculty and staff to develop their vision . . . for bringing the tenants of global education into coursework . . . and now it’s time to enact it,” Dennis said. “It’s cool. It’s very cool. It’s exciting.”