Colleagues,
It is with mixed feelings that we write to announce that after more than 30 years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member and administrator, Professor Lisa Monda-Amaya will be retiring at the end of July. Our heartfelt congratulations to Lisa on her retirement are fused with our deepest gratitude to a colleague whose scholarly work, dedicated service and compassionate leadership have had a lasting positive impact to the College of Education and the University of Illinois.
Lisa has led as Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education since March 2021, taking on a difficult role during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing campus-wide leadership in the area of undergraduate education, including setting strategic directions for the undergraduate experience at Illinois, supporting innovation in classroom and in online instruction and encouraging interdisciplinary initiatives in curriculum and pedagogy. Collaborating with colleges, schools, and other stakeholders, she has worked to ensure that the undergraduate experience at Illinois continues to be one of the best in the nation.
Before serving in this role, she was the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Director of Teacher Education in the College of Education. As Associate Dean, she led the College of Education in setting strategic direction for undergraduate education, supporting innovation in the classroom, and supporting student success. Prior to that role, she was the Acting Associate Dean for Academics Programs, and for six years was the Director of Research Collaboration for The Center for Education in Small Urban Communities, a research and outreach unit within the College focused on enhancing teaching and learning in K-12 schools. As a professor in the Department of Special Education, Lisa served in leadership roles for state committees and national organizations that have had a positive impact on teaching and teacher education. In her department, she worked to develop new curricula and coordinated programs. She has also engaged in significant consulting work with school districts and families in advocating for special education services.
A dedicated and talented teacher and mentor, Lisa has been recognized with numerous teaching awards, including the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching, the Campus Award for Undergraduate Teaching, and at the college level, the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Distinguished Teaching Career Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Award for Service.
Please join us in wishing Lisa the very best on this milestone and next phase of life. And let us thank her for a career at Illinois that stands as an exemplar of how scholarship, service and academic leadership advance our mission as a public research university.
Sincerely,
Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
M. E. Van Valkenburg Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
James D. Anderson
Dean and Gutgsell Professor of Education