John K. Lee Named Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs

John K. Lee, Ph.D., will be the NC State College of Education’s associate dean for faculty and academic affairs effective July 1. He succeeds Lee V. Stiff, Ph.D., who retired July 1 after a 44-year career in education.  

John Lee currently serves as the head of the college’s Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (TELS) and interim head of the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development (ELPHD). 

“Dr. Lee has served in these roles admirably, and he is well-experienced, well-prepared, and well-versed with our college to assume this position as associate dean at a critical time as our college enters a new phase to intensify our mission,” said NC State College of Education Dean Mary Ann Danowitz.  

As associate dean for faculty and academic affairs, Lee will be responsible for the college’s internal faculty and academic affairs, as well as enrollment management. 

“I am honored to have this opportunity to serve our college. As associate dean for faculty and academic affairs, my priorities are to maintain our high-quality college programs and enrollment, continue to cultivate faculty excellence, support our amazing students and their academic affairs, and to deliver on our commitment to social justice,” Lee said.

Lee joined the NC State College of Education in 2006 as an associate professor of social studies education and became a full professor in 2015. He served as the interim head of TELS for about a year before becoming the permanent head in January 2018. He has been interim head of ELPHD since July 2019. 

His research focuses on teacher knowledge and practices related to using inquiry in the classroom and on best design practices for online collections of historical resources targeted for K-12 classrooms. 

Working with colleagues, Lee has pioneered an innovative approach to learning and teaching called the Inquiry Design Model. He has also developed innovative digital historical resources through the Digital History and Pedagogy Project. In addition, he is a co-author of the College, Career and Civic Life Framework for Standards in Social Studies and he co-founded and co-directs the C3 Teachers project, a network of over 15,000 teachers using inquiry to lift up and enrich student engagement in K-12 education.

Lee earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Georgia, Master of Education in Social Studies Education from Georgia State University, and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Studies Education from the University of Virginia. Before pursuing his Ph.D., he taught social studies and history at public middle and high schools in Georgia and Virginia for nearly 10 years.