The College of Education, Health and Human Services welcomes George A. Kamberelis, Ph.D., as the new director for the School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies. Kamberelis was most recently the Department Chair and Graduate Program Director of the Department of Education and Co-director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Western Colorado University, with decades of other academic appointments throughout the country. Although it is his first time living and teaching in Ohio, he is looking forward to the opportunities to come.
When it comes to his new position, Kamberelis is most excited about qualitative research methods.
“That sort of philosophical, theoretical foundation is something I enjoy,” he said.
Kamberelis came to realize that through his time with Norman Denzin, professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
"He helped me figure out that I could do more theoretical or philosophical work in the qualitative inquiry field. I had a foundation built for me by that philosophy and theory background, but I didn’t really know what to do with it until I met Norm. Qualitative inquiry is something that people across campus use, as opposed to just your disciplinary area.”
Kamberelis is also eager to work with faculty and have the chance to be a mentor.
“I enjoy the collaborative environment and being able to help young faculty realize their interests,” he said. “And the fact that Kent State is a university on the move in terms of Carnegie status and the quality of research. It’s incredibly exciting to me.”