Alumnus Scott Thomas (Ph.D., ’94, Department of Education) has been named the John P. ‘Jack’ Ellbogen Dean of the University of Wyoming’s (UW) College of Education. Prior to this appointment, Thomas had been the dean of the University of Vermont’s College of Education and Social Services since 2016. At the University of Vermont, he also served as interim dean of the university’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences for almost two years. From 2008-16, Thomas was dean of the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, where he also served as vice president of strategy and academic planning.
UW’s College of Education includes a School of Teacher Education and a School of Counseling, Leadership, Advocacy, and Design. It offers elementary and secondary education undergraduate programs to master's, doctoral, certificate, and endorsement graduate programs. The Ellbogen Deanship for the College of Education will fund the initiatives led by Thomas and help the College of Education secure a sustainable future for present programs and future innovations that foster excellence and address critical needs and priorities.
Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in education policy, leadership, and research methods from UC Santa Barbara, where he also received his bachelor’s degree in sociology. His areas of expertise include higher education finance, policy and organizations; the sociology of education; and statistical modeling.
His career also has included faculty positions at the University of Arizona, the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and the University of Georgia. He has been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Higher Education and president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.