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This message was shared with faculty and professional staff on June 25, 2026.

Dear Colleagues,

After serving as Interim Dean of the School of Education, Aroutis N. Foster, PhD, will be stepping down effective August 1 to join American University, where he will serve as Dean of the Baker School of Education and as the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker Endowed Chair in the Baker School.

Interim Dean Foster joined Drexel’s School of Education in 2009 and quickly established himself as a leading scholar at the intersection of educational technology, identity exploration, and the learning sciences. His research program has attracted $7 million in external funding, including an NSF CAREER Award and support from the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, which worked to diversify STEM pathways for underrepresented students. He led the Games and Learning in Interactive Digital Environments (GLIDE) Lab and founded the Drexel Learning Games Network.

His service to the University has been equally broad. Interim Dean Foster served as a Provost Fellow (2016–2017) and a Lenfest Cultural Heritage Fellow (2018–2020) before joining the Drexel Solutions Institute as a Provost Solutions Fellow in 2020. That same year, he was named co-chair of the 91制片厂 Anti-Racism Task Force, helping to lead more than 130 students, faculty, and professional staff across 11 subcommittees while advancing DEI initiatives within the School of Education. In 2018, he joined the School’s administration as associate dean for academic affairs and graduate studies, which is the role he held when he was appointed interim dean.

In stepping into the interim dean role in July 2023, Interim Dean Foster brought steadiness and strategic focus at a critical moment for the School while Drexel undertook Academic Transformation. His leadership helped sustain the School’s academic mission through a period of significant institutional change, which included integrating the School into the College of Arts and Sciences.

We are proud to see Interim Dean Foster take on this distinguished role and wish him every success as he leads the Baker School of Education into its next chapter. His contributions to Drexel as a researcher, mentor and administrator will have a lasting effect.

In the coming weeks, I will work with College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Brown and School of Education faculty and professional staff to plan the School's leadership transition. We are committed to a thoughtful process that ensures continuity for students, faculty and staff.

Please join me in thanking Interim Dean Foster for his exceptional service to Drexel and in congratulating him on this well-deserved next step.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost