Vice President and Provost Sheri Everts has appointed Perry Schoon (pronounced Shown) as the new Dean of the College of Education at Illinois State University. Schoon will replace Deborah Curtis, who leaves in May.
Schoon is currently the dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. An Illinois State alumnus, he earned a bachelor’s degree in technology and a doctorate in education at Illinois State.
“Dr. Schoon is an accomplished and experienced educator and leader, who will further enhance the already outstanding reputation of our College of Education,” Everts said. “As we welcome him to campus, I want to also thank the committee members who worked so hard throughout this process.”
Under his guidance at Western Carolina, Schoon saw his college grow in terms of certifications, scholarships, grants, and funding. He worked to create support funds in each of his college’s departments to provide money for faculty professional travel, professional development, technology and scholarship. Among his accomplishments, Schoon collaborated with several Western Carolina colleges to develop dual degrees in undergraduate secondary teacher education programs.
Before arriving at Western Carolina, Schoon was a senior associate dean and an associate dean for assessment and technology in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also held posts in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University.
Schoon’s scholarly work has appeared in such publications as The International Journal of Learning and the Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia as well as proceedings at such conferences as the World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education. He has been honored at his universities for teaching and research and has helped develop software for assessment and data management.
