Welcome from Dr. Joyce Alexander
Since 2015, I have had the honor to call the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University home. This college is a fantastic place where leading experts, passionate students, and dedicated staff join together in transforming the lives of individuals across our state, nation, and the world.
As you look through this site, you will learn about our commitment to a world-class learning experience for our students. You will see our passion for innovation within our fields and our dedication to communities through our service. You’ll also learn about our dedicated staff and faculty who are ensuring your experience here at A&M is world class.
For fifty years, we have been fighting fearlessly to make a transformational impact on our world. Through the passion of our faculty experts we are transforming lives across the fields of education, health, sport, and business. We are preparing our graduates to be transformational leaders at the forefront of change.
Explore our programs online or schedule a visit to tour campus. We look forward to meeting you.
Thanks and Gig ‘em,
Joyce M. Alexander, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
Reta Haynes Dean’s Endowed Chair
About the Dean
Appointed in June 2015, Dr. Joyce Alexander is the sixth dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. She is also the current holder of the Reta Haynes Dean’s Endowed Chair and is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology. She received a B.S. in Psychology from Texas Wesleyan University, and Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia.
Prior to her time at Texas A&M, Dr. Alexander served as Executive Associate Dean in the School of Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She had previously served as chair of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology for six years.
Her research focuses on the development of interests, motivation and expertise in children. Her most significant work examines the growth of interest in science from early childhood through age 18.
Over her career, she has supervised 20 student dissertations and served as a journal reviewer for 12 journals. She is currently on the Editorial Board of Metacognition and Learning.
Transformational Impacts
As a part of a land grant university, we are called to do more. Our faculty, staff, and administration came together two years ago to commit to not just teaching, research, and service, but to making a transformational impact on society.
We address education’s most urgent challenges and remain at the forefront of the fight to improve educational achievement. In health and wellness, we conduct research that informs policy and practice, ultimately improving the quality of life for countless individuals. And across every focus, we prepare the absolute best leaders of tomorrow and set the standard for excellence.
Achieve Equity in Education and Health Outcomes
From early childhood to adulthood, one of our nation’s greatest challenges and highest priorities is equity in access to and in the quality of health and education. All children, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, deserve access to schools with high quality and effective educators.
We commit to harnessing the power of research and higher education to foster teachers, administrators, community leaders, and community health experts to lead this charge.
We commit to prepare school administrators and leaders to proactively work against the overrepresentation of some ethnicities in special education classes, less academically rigorous pathways/courses, and school disciplinary programs.
We commit to preventing and eliminating disparities that manifest through increased rates of teenage pregnancy, low test scores, childhood obesity, adult onset diabetes, alcoholism, and high dropout rates.
We commit to disrupt existing relations between socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and health equity.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE WORK TO ACHIEVE EQUITY EVERY DAY
Former Student Helps Pave Way for Others
Center on Disability and Development Awarded Two Grants Under the Autism Grant Program
Improve Individual and Community Quality of Life
Quality of life is not only about physical health and activity, but also about mental and emotional health.
Approximately 20% of the U.S. population lives in health professional shortage areas. Few of these communities have a complete plan for coordinating services for individuals in high-poverty areas.
We commit to provide the tools to improve mental and physical outcomes to more individuals through increased programs, clinical studies, and professional development across the state.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNAL QUALITY OF LIFE
Quality of Life: A White Paper Prepared by the CEHD Faculty Advisory Committee
Research Gives Clinicians Comparative Benchmarks For Collegiate Athletes
Fish Oil May Help Improve Mood in Veterans
The Telehealth Counseling Clinic: Transformative Partnership for Service, Training, and Research
Master of Science in Athletic Training: Transformative Partnerships
Advance Teaching & Learning
In 2015, the State of Texas declared teacher shortage areas in language and literacy education, special education, and all specializations within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
We commit to addressing these shortages by preparing passionate, dedicated professionals in education who demonstrate leadership, promote equity, advance knowledge, and improve quality of life.
We commit to examining the instruction within our own classrooms and advancing the scholarship surrounding effective teaching and learning. We will lead our students to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to transform lives.
Our students experience learning in some of the most innovative places on campus and beyond thanks to our Global Education initiative.
We commit to providing a transformational learning environment for all our graduates.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE ADVANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Summit for Meaningful Impact of Learning and Education
Advancing Achievement in Learning and Health at Camp LIFE
Classroom Instruction Comes to Life Through Global Education
Develop Transformational Leaders
Creating transformational leaders starts with opportunities to address real-world dilemmas. As a tier-1 research and land-, space- and sea-grant university, we are developing the leaders needed in Texas today.
We commit to partnering with organizations, communities, and schools to nurture these transformations. Locally, regionally and nationally, we will establish long-standing relationships with respect and value.
Whether in PK-20 leadership development, health and wellness, sport and rehabilitation, educational foundations, human resource development or research leadership for the next generation of academicians, we commit to examining effective ways to support leaders through local, international, and interdisciplinary partnerships.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE DEVELOP TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERS
US Swimmer and Sport Management Student Breeja Larson on What it Means to be an Olympian