Innovator Vol. 35 No. 3 - Spring 05: Learning Partnerships
Return to contents Faculty Profiles
In late 2004, the Regents of the University of Michigan named four Collegiate Professorships in Education. A named chair or professorship is a unique way that the University honors both its historical figures and its current distinguished faculty. The regents honored four school of education faculty as the fi rst holders of these professorships.
William H. Payne Collegiate Professorship in Education (Deborah Loewenberg Ball)
William H. Payne was the first
education faculty member at the
University of Michigan. He began
his career as a teacher in country
schools and later served two posts as
school principal. In 1866 he became
head of the Union Seminary in Ypsilanti. From 1869 to 1879 he was
superintendent of public schools in
Adrian, Michigan, where his reputation grew as an administrator and
writer on educational subjects. In
1879, President James Angell created a special Chair of the Art and
Science of Teaching and appointed
William H. Payne to the position.
Professor Payne led the organizational work needed for the newly
developed education department.
Moreover, as Chair, he was also a
distinctive innovator responsible for
the formation of teacher education
at Michigan. Principles he pursued
included the special disciplinary
preparation of teachers, equipping
them to understand subjects in ways
that would enable them to help others learn those subjects.
Deborah Loewenberg Ball’s work lies at the intersection of teacher education and mathematics education, with a strong interest in the relations of policy and practice. Her work draws on her many years of experience as an elementary teacher. Ball’s work focuses on studies of instruction and teacher development. She also investigates efforts to improve instruction through policy, reform initiatives, and teacher education. Ball has published widely on teacher learning and teacher education, the role of subject matter knowledge in instruction, endemic challenges of teaching, and the relations of policy and practice in instructional improvement. Ball received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1988, and prior to that, was a classroom teacher since 1975.
Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professorship in Education (Edward P. St. John)
Dr. Algo D. Henderson was a Professor of Higher Education at the
University of Michigan from 1950
until 1967. During this time, he
created the first doctoral program
in higher education administration
in the United States and was the
founding Director of what is now the
Center for the Study of Higher and
Postsecondary Education. Prior to
his tenure at UM, he served as the
President of Antioch College, and
as associate director of a New York
planning commission that led to the
foundation of New York’s public community colleges and the establishment of the State University of New
York. He also served as a member of
President Truman’s Commission on
Higher Education that resulted in an
expanded role for higher education
in the United States.
Edward P. St. John’s research focuses on the impact of public finance and educational policies on education opportunity in both K-12 and higher education. A recent study by Dr. St. John, “Expanding College Access,” systematically analyzes the association between state finance strategies and college access outcomes.
Dr. St. John’s recent books include Refinancing the College Dream: Access, Equal Opportunity and Justice for Taxpayers (John Hopkins, 2003) and (co-edited with Michael Parsons) Public Funding of Higher Education: Changing Contexts and New Rationales (John Hopkins, 2004). In 2004, Dr. St. John was named series editor for Reading of Equal Education and edited a volume of the annual, Public Policy and College Access: Investigating the Federal and State Roles in Equalizing Postsecondary Opportunity (AMS Press, 2004). He has received Robert P. Huff Golden Quill Award from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the Leadership Award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education. He re-ceived his Ed. D. from Harvard University in 1978.
Burke A. Hinsdale Collegiate Professorship in Education (Brian P. Rowan)
Burke Aaron Hinsdale, a distinguished early professor of education
at the University of Michigan, was
educated at Hiram College, where
he was a pupil of James A. Garfi eld. After entering the ministry of the
Christian church, he was pastor successively in Solon and Cleveland,
Ohio. In 1869-70 he was professor
of history and English literature at
Hiram College, succeeding to its
presidency in 1870 and holding offi ce until 1882. He was then superintendent of public schools in Cleveland until 1886. Professor Hinsdale
was the second person to hold the
Chair of the Science and the Art of
Teaching at the University of Michigan from 1887 to 1900.
During the time Professor Hinsdale held this Chair, he was known throughout the nation as a leading figure in American education, as a result of both his public addresses and his writings, infl uencing educational policies in late 19th and early 20th century Michigan. Professor Hinsdale’s efforts helped create the offi ce of inspector of high schools and attached it to the Department of Education at the University of Michigan.
Brian Rowan is a sociologist whose scholarly interests lie at the intersection of organization theory and school effectiveness research. Over the years, Rowan has written on education as an institution, on the nature of teachers’ work, and on the effects of school organization, leadership, and instruction practice on student achievement. His current work includes a large-scale, longitudinal study of the design, implementation, and effectiveness of three of America’s largest comprehensive school reform initiatives. Prior to joining the education faculty at the University of Michigan in 1991, Rowan was a senior research director at Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, and Chairperson of the Department of Educational Administration at Michigan State University. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1978.
William A. Brownell Collegiate Professorship in Education (Edward A. Silver)
William Arthur Brownell gained his
Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
in 1926. He was a faculty member
at the University of Michigan (192728) and a number of other prestigious
universities, including Professor of
Education and Dean of the School of
Education at UC-Berkeley.
Professor Brownell conducted research on children’s learning, particularly in arithmetic. His theoretical position, known as “meaning theory,” was that understanding, not sheer repetition, is the basis for robust mathematical learning. He actively applied his theory and research to mathematical education.
Professor Brownell’s distinguished career included national professional leadership and recognition. He was twice the chairman of the National Society for the Study of Education. He served as president of the American Educational Research Association and of the Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA). He was the second recipient of the Edward Lee Thorndike annual award given by this Division.
Edward A. Silver is Professor of Education and Mathematics at the University of Michigan and Chair of the Educational Studies Program. He has taught at the middle school and high school levels in New York State and at universities in Illinois, California, and Pennsylvania. He received his Ed.D. in mathematics education in 1977 from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Silver’s scholarly interests include the study of mathematical thinking, especially mathematical problem solving and problem posing; the design and analysis of intellectually engaging and equitable mathematics instruction for middle school students; innovative methods of assessing and reporting mathematics achievement; and effective models for enhancing the knowledge of teachers of mathematics. His work has been published not only in major research journals but also in outlets intended to reach the educational practice community, especially K-12 teachers of mathematics.
