SIT names two new associate deans
Publication Date: September 28, 2022
Publication Location: Brattleboro, Vermont
Contact: Kate Casa | [email protected]
School for International Training (SIT) has hired two new senior leaders, both of whom began their new roles in summer 2022. Dr. Laura Colket is associate dean for the Graduate Institute and Dr. Daniel Lumonya is associate dean for undergraduate studies.
Dr. Colket has worked in international contexts in higher education, as well as in primary and secondary education. Prior to joining SIT, she was associate professor at St. George’s University in Grenada, where she designed and led a new Master of Education program and engaged in faculty development as associate director for Leadership & Excellence in Academic Development. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on international education, international development, practitioner inquiry, and educational leadership. Her edited volume, “Becoming: Transformative Storytelling for Education’s Future,” models an inquiry process for educators’ engagement with teaching, learning, and professional transformation.
“The Graduate Institute’s cutting-edge experiential programs enable the next generation of leaders to confront critical global issues, such as climate change, global health, and social justice,” Dr. Colket said. “As associate dean, I am excited to draw upon my experience in designing and implementing higher education programs as I help lead our full-time and part-time global and hybrid doctoral and master’s degrees and certificate programs that tackle these important topics.”
Dr. Lumonya taught at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, for 14 years before serving as academic director with SIT on undergraduate Uganda and Rwanda semester and summer programs between 2001 and 2015, and as academic dean for SIT’s Africa portfolio from 2015 to 2019. He has a deep passion for SIT’s field-based experiential learning model and teaching effectiveness. He completed a bachelor’s degree in social work and social administration at Makerere University in Uganda in 1991, a master’s degree in social sector planning and management at the same university in 1999, and a PhD in development sociology at Cornell University in 2019.
“My long history with SIT and my passion for SIT’s approach to experiential learning motivates me as associate dean for undergraduate studies,” Dr. Lumonya said. “I am excited to help lead our diverse portfolio of accredited summer and semester undergraduate programs in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs on multiple continents.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lumonya and Dr. Colket as associate deans for undergraduate studies and the Graduate Institute, respectively,” said Dr. Said Graiouid, provost and dean of faculty. “Their accomplishments, leadership, and dedication to international education and student-centered programming make them excellent additions to SIT’s leadership team. I am excited to work with them as we continue to offer programs that enable global leadership, learning, and scholarship for passionate students around the world.”
SIT offers accredited undergraduate study abroad programs through SIT Study Abroad, including the comparative International Honors Program, and internationally focused master’s degrees, certificate programs, and a doctorate through SIT Graduate Institute.