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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Toni Doolen, dean of the Honors College at Oregon State University, has been named dean of the university's College of Education.

Doolen will continue in her role as dean of the Honors College, while also serving as executive dean of Oregon State's Division of Arts and Sciences, which includes the colleges of Education, Liberal Arts, Science and the Honors College.

Doolen, who is a professor in the university's School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, replaces Larry Flick, who has served as the dean of the College of Education since July 2011.

"I am deeply impressed with Dr. Doolen's ability to articulate the key role that the College of Education must play at OSU," said Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser. "As a professor of engineering, she is a published author in engineering education, and has studied assessment methods and use of technology in instruction.

"She will bring the college experienced, thoughtful leadership and a stellar record as a highly respected contributor to the OSU Provost's Council and university leadership, in general," Feser said. "Dr. Doolen has a proven skill in stewarding collaborative decision making around visions, plans and resources, and has demonstrated success in building partnerships with units across the university in her role as Honors College dean. Those abilities and skills will serve the College of Education and the university very well."

The College of Education has more than 14,000 alumni from throughout the U.S. and 35 nations. The college offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Corvallis, at OSU-Cascades in Bend and online through Oregon State's nationally ranked Ecampus distance education program.

Graduate degree programs include seven master's degrees in areas including adult and higher education; school counseling and clinical mental health, as well as doctoral degrees in counseling, adult and higher education leadership; and science and mathematics. As well, the College of Education offers many education certificate programs for educators.

Feser praised Flick's contributions in advancing the College of Education and extending its impact through partnerships with school districts in Beaverton, Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley. Feser said the college also has engaged in extensive efforts to advance STEM education among its students and teachers throughout Oregon.

The college has 80 faculty and staff members who serve approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate students, conduct research, and are involved in community engagement work throughout the state.

"I am honored to be asked to help continue and grow the impact in teaching, research and service that is being done in the College of Education," Doolen said. "The mission of the college is to prepare, inspire and support teachers, counselors, educational leaders, researchers and volunteers. This is a very important role and engages Oregon State in working with educators and promoting lifelong learning in K-12 schools, colleges and universities and throughout our communities.

"We will continue to embrace innovation in all that we do in the college," Doolen said.

Doolen joined OSU in 2001, following several years of manufacturing experience at Hewlett-Packard Company as an engineer, senior member of technical staff and manager. She received a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Oregon State. 

Under her leadership, enrollment within the Honors College has grown significantly to 1,057 students or 4.2 percent of all OSU undergraduates - an increase of 3.6 percent from 2015. At the same time, the number of high-achieving freshmen entering OSU - graduates from Oregon high schools with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or greater - grew to 47 percent of all incoming first-time students in fall 2016.

In addition, the Honors College collaborates with every academic college at Oregon State to increase the diversity of high-achieving students enrolling at and graduating from OSU.