Dr. Ray Reutzel has been named dean of the College of Education at the University of Wyoming.
Reutzel is a professor of elementary and early childhood education at Utah State University. He will begin leading UW’s College of Education in July.
Reutzel takes the reigns amid increased attention on the College of Education. Last year, the University Board of Trustees launched an initiative to elevate the school to national prominence. Lawmakers on the education committee have made that their top interim priority.
“We’ll be looking at a lot of efforts to overhaul the curriculum and to modernize it,” says Reutzel. “To put the face of UW out there in the state, so that there’s not only high tech but high touch, so that the schools are working with us and us with them.”
Reutzel says, to adequately prepare teachers, the College of Education need to be looked as part of the education spectrum—along with Wyoming’s K-12 schools.
“Students who come to us need to be strong in their educational preparation,” says Reutzel. “Our program needs to be strong to return strong teachers to the school, so they can return strong students to us as future teachers. That loop needs to go round and round in such a way that we don’t have any break in the system.”
Reutzel grew up in the Big Horn Basin and graduated from UW’s College of Education.
The College has been without a permanent dean since 2013. UW began this school year without permanent deans at 4 of its 7 colleges. Reutzel’s hiring means all of those positions are now filled.