“The education department is an amazing group of people, and I’m thankful that they have supported my desire to serve in this role as it gives me an opportunity to hopefully inspire students to view our community as an asset to their learning and to leave an impact along the way,” Yontz said.
While being the interim director, Yontz will continue to be the chair of the education department. He was also recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, the release stated.
Yontz, a Springfield native, joined the university in 2006. He is a Springfield City Schools graduate, earned his bachelor’s degree from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, his master’s degree from Wright State University and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
“Brian Yontz has significant ties to the community both in the realm of education and beyond. He teaches courses in educational policy, urban education, and was a member of the urban studies program committee,” Provost Michelle Mattson said. “He will no doubt draw from his experiences with the Hagen Center, Wittenberg, and the city more broadly over the summer as he works with the center’s experienced staff members.”
Yontz replaces Ed Hasecke, professor of political science, who left the position in May.
“Ed’s leadership has positioned this summer to be a success, and I could not ask for better folks than the current staff of the Hagen Center to help execute an exciting summer,” Yontz said.
“I really want to do some strategic thinking around the overall structure of the Hagen Center ... I want to work with the current staff, the Wittenberg community, and the Springfield community to distill how the center can best impact student learning moving forward. Overall, I want to communicate well to the campus and to the community the good things that Wittenberg students are doing that lead to their learning and development as citizens,” he added.
About the Author
