Date:

June 25, 2026

To:

AU Community

From:

Vicky M. Wilkins, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Subject:

Dean, Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of Education

I am pleased to announce that following a national search, Aroutis Foster has been appointed as Linda A. and H. Kent Baker Chair and Dean of the Baker School of Education, effective August 1, 2026. A collaborative leader, nationally recognized scholar, and experienced administrator, Dean Foster currently serves as Interim Dean and Professor of Learning Sciences and Technologies at Drexel University’s School of Education. He is also an affiliated Professor of Digital Media in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design (COMAD).

As Interim Dean since 2023, Dean Foster has led the School of Education through a period of significant academic changes, including its transition from a quarter to a semester system and its integration into the College of Arts and Sciences. In this role, he guided 35 full-time faculty, 27 professional staff, and 700–800 students; stewarded an $18–20 million budget; and improved the school’s revenue-to-expense ratio from 89 percent to 69 percent in two years. He also raised $1.4 million to launch the ALLIED Hub (Advocacy, Leadership, Learning, Implementation, Ed Policy, and Data), which supports evidence-based literacy and leadership practices by translating research into practical tools, professional learning, and implementation support for educators, school systems, and policymakers.

Prior to his tenure as Interim Dean, Dean Foster held a wide range of administrative positions, including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies in the School of Education and Provost Fellow in the Office of Research and Innovation. Committed to advancing inclusive excellence, he co-chaired Drexel’s Anti-Racism Task Force, directing 130 volunteers across 11 subcommittees. He also made important contributions to the Provost’s Working Group on the Educational Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools and was a member of campus-wide committees focused on technology transfer, program performance, continuing education, shared governance, and DEI. Beyond Drexel, Dean Foster served as Project Director and Co-PI for the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a nine-university initiative aimed at broadening representation in STEM fields.

Dean Foster’s scholarship is focused on designing and examining technological learning environments, such as games and virtual platforms, to better understand learners’ knowledge, identity, and motivation in various contexts. He has published widely and received $7 million in external grants. Since 2013, he has directed the Games and Learning in Interactive Digital Environments Lab (GLIDE), where he has carried out a variety of research projects while mentoring undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral scholars.

Dean Foster earned his PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology from Michigan State University and a BA with a double major in Art (Digital Media and Technology) and Broadcast Communications from CUNY-Brooklyn College (cum laude). He has received many prestigious honors, including the NSF CAREER award.

I would like to express my appreciation to Rodney Hopson for his work as interim dean since January 2025—and for his willingness to extend his service through the end of July. Many thanks also to the search committee, chaired by Professor Sarah Irvine Belson and supported by search firm Isaacson, Miller—for their dedication to recruiting an outstanding new dean.

The Baker School of Education recently reached a milestone moment—receiving the largest gift by an individual donor in AU’s history and becoming the first named school at the university in 45 years. In addition to providing for the endowed leadership chair that Dean Foster will occupy, this transformational gift will help to expand the school’s robust community partnerships and interdisciplinary faculty research and provide scholarships to recruit and retain students.

Please join me in welcoming Dean Foster to the AU community!