photo by: Submitted

Joshua Newman

A Florida State academic is the fourth and final candidate vying to become the next dean for the University of Kansas School of Education and Human Sciences, KU announced on Monday.

Joshua Newman, associate dean for research at Florida State’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, will provide a presentation at 3:45 p.m. today to discuss his vision for the KU school.

In his role at FSU, Newman oversees more than $84 million in annual research projects within the university’s college of education, which includes three K-12 laboratory schools. During the last five years, Newman has overseen growth of nearly $70 million of research funding in the College of Education.

Newman’s academic expertise is in sports management and health. He previously directed both the sports management doctoral program and the Center for Sport, Health and Equitable Development at Florida State.

Newman holds a doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, and has undergraduate degrees from the University of Memphis.

Newman is one of four finalists for the dean’s position, which will be open at the conclusion of the school year when current Dean Rick Ginsburg will leave the role and return to the KU faculty after 21 years as the dean of the education school.

Previously announced candidates are: Lisa Wolf-Wendel, a professor of higher education in KU’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies;Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer, an associate dean with Texas Tech University; and Cory Forbes, the director of an educational research center at the University of Texas at Arlington.