William Gaudelli Installed as College of Education Dean

On a foggy Monday morning in front of friends, family and colleagues, William Gaudelli was formally installed as the eighth dean of Lehigh’s College of Education.

Provost Pat Farrell introduced Gaudelli to those gathered in the Wood Dining Hall in Iacocca Hall and presented him with the Lehigh medallion. Among those attending were Lehigh President John D. Simon; Stephen DeWeerth, dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science; Georgette Champman Phillips, the Kevin L. and Lisa A. Clayton Dean of the College of Business and Economics, and College of Education faculty.

“I’m excited about the initiatives Bill will lead us in accomplishing in his role as dean, such as expanding his experiential learning opportunities to develop leading-edge instructional practices and growing our efforts to promote global teaching and learning for a global society,” Farrell said.

Gaudelli is an internationally renowned scholar and educator, having served the educational community for over 25 years in a wide range of roles from high school social studies teacher in New Jersey to professor and program supervisor in Florida. Prior to coming to Lehigh, Gaudelli was chair of the Department of Arts and Humanities at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Gaudelli said he was the first in his family to attend college, raised by a working-class family and the grandchild of poor immigrants from Southern Italy.

“I am, in that sense, a highly unlikely person to be standing in front of you as dean, “ Gaudelli said. “The benefactors of many others who have counseled us, educated us, parented us, the people who have socialized us into our being in the world, are a reminder that today we are all in their debt.”

Gaudelli said his dreams and future goals for the College of Education include creating personalized spaces to serve students with the greatest needs, such as those with emotional and behavioral problems, and taking advantage of new technologies such as  virtual reality to simulate real-world learning experiences.