Amanda Thein, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs and professor of literacy, culture, and language education in the University of Iowa College of Education, has been named the new associate provost for graduate and professional education and dean of the Graduate College. She will begin on July 1.

Thein succeeds John Keller who stepped down on May 16. Keller, who is currently serving as interim president of the university, will lead several projects underway in the Office of the Provost after his interim role as president ends.

“Along with her strong commitment to graduate and professional education, Dr. Thein will bring invaluable experience to her new role,” says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. “I am confident in her ability to guide the Graduate College toward a successful future.”

Thein has served as associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Education since 2016. She was program coordinator for the language, literacy, and culture doctoral program from 2013 to 2016. Thein came to Iowa in 2011 as an associate professor of language, literacy, and culture, and was promoted to full professor in 2017.

Thein’s research focuses on critical approaches to high school English language arts instruction and teacher education. She has published more than 30 journal articles, book chapters, and books, and her scholarship has been supported by grants from the National Council of Teachers of English, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, and the Iowa Women’s Foundation. She has directed 13 dissertations and served on an additional 30 dissertation committees. Thein is co-editor of an international journal, English Teaching: Practice & Critique, and currently serves as president of the Iowa Academy of Education.

Before coming to Iowa, Thein was an assistant professor of English education at the University of Pittsburgh from 2005 to 2011. She received a bachelor of science degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997; a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Denver in 1999, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction in English education from the University of Minnesota in 2005.

“I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead the Graduate College as we embark on a new era in higher education. My goal is to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students in the college and across campus to build on the University of Iowa’s history of excellence in graduate and professional education,” says Thein. “I look forward to engaging with innovative ideas and creative solutions that will support a new and diverse generation of graduate and professional students as they prepare for an array of careers that advance research, serve communities, and create a better future for people in Iowa.”

Thein was one of three internal finalists who interviewed for the associate provost and dean position and participated in open forums earlier this month. The search was led by a committee co-chaired by Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business, and Kevin Legge, professor of pathology in the Carver College of Medicine and director of the immunology graduate program in the Graduate College.

Thein’s appointment must be approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.