Kristine L. Bowman, a leading scholar of education law, has been appointed associate dean for academic and student affairs in the College of Education. Bowman will oversee matters of curriculum, advising and accreditation for undergraduate and graduate students.
Since 2007, Bowman has been a faculty member in the MSU College of Law, where she recently served as associate and then vice dean for academic affairs.
As an attorney earlier in her career, she represented and provided counsel to school and district leaders on topics related to desegregation, student discipline and the First Amendment.
"When I was in law school, I discovered a passion for the idea that law can be a tool to improve access to strong public education for all children," she said. "I'm really excited to continue academic and student affairs work in a leading college of education, where I can facilitate student success and have an even greater impact on the issues I care most about."
Her position covers responsibilities handled by two college administrators who are preparing to retire, Michael Sedlak and Susan Dalebout.
Bowman has long been involved in the College of Education as an associated faculty member in the former Education Policy Center at MSU. She has collaborated with Education Policy Ph.D. students as well as faculty. She will now have joint faculty appointments in the Department of Educational Administration, as part of the Education Policy program, and the College of Law.
Her own scholarship centers on racial/ethnic equity in K-12 schools as well as free speech, including on college campuses. Among recent work, she has written two amicus briefs on the Detroit right to literacy lawsuit, one with Professor David Arsen leading to a forthcoming article. She is editing the Oxford Handbook of Education Law.
"I was impressed with Professor Bowman’s approach to academic leadership, starting with values and goals, asking questions and using results of pilot tests to make improvements," said Robert Floden, dean, College of Education. "As the search committee noted, she has a record as an effective collaborator with a deep commitment to equity and a capacity to engage with the intricacies of academic programs and policies."