Mark Reid selected as new College of Education dean at UNK

KEARNEY – Mark J. Reid has been selected as University of Nebraska at Kearney’s next dean of the College of Education. The appointment was announced today by Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Charlie Bicak and comes after a national search.

Mark Reid
Mark Reid

Reid is currently associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and associate professor of secondary education, department of curriculum and instruction, at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He has a doctorate in curriculum studies from the University of Texas at Austin, his master’s in agronomy from Washington State University, and bachelor’s in agriculture from East Texas State University.

Reid will take the position effective July 1, subject to University of Nebraska Board of Regents approval.

“I am honored to become a Loper and ecstatic to be joining the College of Education, which has a reputation for excellence. I graduated from high school in Brookings, South Dakota, so this feels like I am coming home.”

Reid has been at Texas A&M Commerce for 14 years, where he has overseen eight departments in the college: curriculum and instruction; educational leadership; higher education and learning technology; health and human performance; counseling; psychology and special education; social work and nursing.

Earlier in his career he was an assistant professor at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma; and taught at Mount Pleasant (Texas) High school, Richarte Alternative School of Choice (Georgetown, Texas) and Campbell (Texas) High school.

He has a wide array of community engagement activities, work with professional organizations, and has led efforts to develop online courses and programs. His scholarly activity includes research and writing on leadership, rural teaching, assessment, technology trends, group planning and decision-making, changes in higher education, and many other topics.

His current research is on the impact of trauma on learners in school settings, teachers’ spending on classroom materials, and comparisons of rigid and flexible approaches to grading. He has received state, federal and private grant funding from agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. His community involvement has included coaching youth sports, working with Boys and Girls Club, and Rotary International.

The UNK College of Education includes the departments of Teacher Education, Kinesiology and Sport Science, Communication Disorders, Counseling and School Psychology, and Educational Administration.

Reid replaces dean Sheryl Feinstein, who retired in 2019.