August 3, 2004

TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY

Dear Colleagues:

After ten years of extraordinary leadership as dean of our Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Professor Jules Zimmer has decided to retire. Dr. Zimmer has had a long and illustrious career here at UCSB, dating back more than three decades to 1970, when he first joined our Graduate School of Education as an associate professor. He went on to serve as program leader for Early Childhood Education, director of our Child-Parent Development Center, and director of the Graduate School of Education Research Office. In 1993 he became acting dean of the School, and in 1994, following a national search, he was appointed dean.

Jules has been a tremendous asset to our education programs and to our campus. Under his leadership, the GGSE has pioneered important innovations in the development and use of technology in education. The School recently established an undergraduate minor in Education and Applied Psychology, and has created four new research and training centers that are designed to tackle the most pressing issues and challenges in public education: the Center for Educational Leadership, the Center for Equity in Mathematics and Science Education, the Center for School-Based Youth Development, and the Center for Teaching for Social Justice.  

Among his many achievements as dean, Jules has had great success in building strong partnerships with the Santa Barbara community through his programmatic and fundraising efforts. He worked closely with Marilyn Gevirtz and her late husband, Ambassador Donald Gevirtz, who in 2000 made a $10 million gift to the School, which is now named in their honor. In 2004, Jules was named Innovator of the Year by the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of his professional contributions to our community.

After extensive consultation with all of the GGSE faculty, EVC Gene Lucas and I have invited Dr. Gale Morrison to serve as our acting dean of the Gevirtz School, effective August 3, 2004. Professor Morrison is a member of our GGSE faculty in the Counseling/Clinical/School Psychology Program. She is also affiliated with our Center for School-Based Youth Development. Gale has served as the lead evaluator for the Healthy Start and AOK After-School Programs in the Santa Barbara School District for the past ten years, and is a highly respected researcher, teacher, and graduate student mentor. She is an excellent leader for the GGSE during this interim period, and we appreciate her willingness to serve in this important acting position.

We will move forward immediately to form a committee to begin a national search for the next dean. In the meantime, please join us in offering Jules our sincere thanks and congratulations for his achievements and his many contributions to UCSB. We will miss him greatly, but we wish him and his wife, Laurie, the very best in all that lies ahead. Please also join us in welcoming Gale as our acting dean.

Sincerely,

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor