Hancock Kanpol Voland

Hidden, you say?

Well, one is a former professional football player, one had dreams of becoming an anthropologist and the other has music in his soul.

Additionally, the three have brought a combined 76 years of teaching expertise to their new academic roles.

Barry Hancock began his Fort Wayne tenure July 1. He is assistant dean and director of the Division of Public and Environmental Affairs (DPEA). Hancock says the division is expanding its regional role through initiatives such as the recently expanded Community Research Institute (see related story, page B3).

“The division is committed to broadening civic engagement activities and applied research, creating partnerships with government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and other public entities,” he said. “Though offering quality programs for pre-service students and those currently employed in the public sector, DPEA provides the knowledge base and skills for our students to make tremendous contributions as public servants and agency managers. We want the public, not only in Allen County but in northeast Indiana, to know that we are here to serve them.”

Hancock comes to Fort Wayne from his position as dean of the Bartlesville campus of Rogers State University in Oklahoma. Before that, he held posts as professor at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn.; at IU South Bend; and at Albany State College in Georgia. He was also a teaching associate at Oklahoma State University and a guest lecturer at the University of Stockholm (Sweden). His teaching interests include criminal justice, juvenile justice, corrections and public policy.

Hancock received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Oklahoma State University. He is the author of numerous articles and seven books, and has served on numerous community boards and institutional committees. He has been a consultant to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for 15 years and is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the American Corrections Association, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Kappa Delta and Rotary International.

The second dean to arrive in Fort Wayne was Barry Kanpol, who took over the reins of the School of Education on July 14. As dean, Kanpol says it is his goal to “maintain the stability of a very strong undergraduate teacher education preparation program, while concurrently building the graduate programs in at least three fundamental areas of community need: educational administration, special education and counseling education. Clearly, linking graduate education growth to the job market is a strong priority, with the advent of a doctoral degree of some sort as a visionary dream.”

In reviewing the list of research projects he has undertaken and the publications in which his work has been featured, the theme of multiculturalism surfaces with regularity. Kanpol says he has lived a life in transition.

“I emigrated from Australia to Israel in 1973 and from Israel to the U.S. in 1983,” he said. “I have lived and worked on and between both coasts. I identify with students whose identities are shaped by cultural experiences that are not the norm. In part, then, I see my philosophy of teaching as one that identifies with student race, class and gender differences. As a former high school drop-out, I am clearly linked to those students who, for want of a better term, have different learning styles that make their transition to the work force difficult.”

Kanpol received his bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University.

IPFW’s third new dean, Gerard Voland, began his tenure Aug. 23, arriving on campus to take the helm at the School of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science (ETCS) as well as the Division of Organizational Leadership and Supervision. He believes the two entities can teach both teamwork and project management.

Voland is an advocate of team teaching, with full-time faculty and adjunct faculty from industry working together. He wants that teamwork to extend to students in the form of student assistants, co-ops and internships at local companies, because, as he puts it, “lectures allow students to familiarize themselves with the materials; but applications allow students to master the material.”

Voland’s vision for ETCS: “to become a national model of outreach and engagement with the community. We have a strong set of programs here; we want students to think of IPFW first.”

Voland formerly served as dean of the Undergraduate College and associate vice president for undergraduate education at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Prior to that, he held positions at Northeastern University in Boston. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a doctorate in engineering design from Tufts University.

IPFW Chancellor Michael Wartell is pleased to have the three new deans on campus.

“At a time when we are reaching out to more students, it is truly a pleasure to have three such fine educators on our campus to help guide the students’ educations,” he said.

Oh, by the way, here’s the “hidden talents:” Kanpol is the former professional football player, Voland once had planned to be an anthropologist and Hancock began his college career as a piano and voice major.

Contact the new deans by E-mail at hancockb@ipfw.edu; kanpolb@ipfw.edu and volandg@ipfw.edu.