Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan has appointed Cynthia Carter Ching to serve as interim dean for the School of Education, effective July 1, 2023. Ching will lead the school until the new dean begins.

“While the search is taking longer than we had hoped, we are steadfast in our commitment to find the right leader for our outstanding School of Education,” Croughan said. “I am very grateful to Cynthia for stepping into this vital leadership position. Her depth of experience and passion for education will keep the school moving in the right direction.”

Ching, associate dean for academic programs in the School of Education since 2016, joined UC Davis in 2007. She also served as interim vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Education from 2020 to 2022. An interim associate dean will be appointed in August to fulfill Ching’s current duties.

Ching holds two University of California degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in psychology (with an emphasis in cognitive science) from UC Irvine and a Ph.D. in education (Department of Psychological Studies in Education) from UCLA. She began her faculty career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, spending six years in that role before coming to UC Davis.

Ching’s research is in the area of educational technology. She examines the intersection of technology, learning, collaboration, and identity, investigating how children, youth, and adults represent and negotiate aspects of themselves via technology in classrooms, in online environments, and in games.

“The School of Education has greatly benefited from Dr. Ching’s steady leadership as associate dean, her research expertise in issues relating to the use of technology in learning, her deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and her unfailing advocacy for students,” said Lindstrom. “I know she will serve the school very well in this time of transition.”