Former Pittsfield Superintendent Named MCLA Dean
 Howard 'Jake' Eberwein at the Taconic High graduation in June. |
Howard "Jake" Eberwein III will become the college's new dean of graduate and continuing education.
The Dalton resident left the Pittsfield district at the end of the school year, after announcing his resignation in January. The announcement of his appointment as dean was made on the college's website last Friday and publicized on Tuesday.
The new dean graduated from the college's Masters of Education Program in 2003, and earned his principal certification as a graduate of its Leadership Academy of the Berkshires in 2002.
"I look forward to working collaboratively with the MCLA leadership team, faculty and community in expanding high-quality educational opportunities for the citizens of Berkshire County and beyond," Eberwein said in a statement. "There is no better time to be afforded the opportunity to strengthen existing and create new programs that will support the advancement of individuals in the public, non-profit and private sectors."
The post had been advertised earlier this summer. It replaces an associate-dean position to reflect the added graduate and undergrad continuing education programs. The new dean is expected expand and strengthen the programs to meet the needs of education in the county.
Eberwein has spent 18 years as an educator and an administrator in the public schools of Berkshire County, beginning as a science teacher at Mount Everett Regional School in Sheffield and most recently as superintendent of Pittsfield Public Schools, from 2008 until this past June. He ovesaw a $54 million budget, 6,000 students and more than 1,000 employees.
While superintendent, Eberwein was a guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and an adjunct faculty member of MCLA and American International College. He has presented at the state and regional level on accountability and assessment, among other topics.
Eberwein holds his doctorate in education from UMass-Amherst. His award-winning dissertation was titled "Raising Legal Literacy in Public Schools, a Call for Principal Leadership: A National Study of Secondary School Principals' Knowledge of Public School Law." He earned his bachelor's in biology and chemistry from Skidmore College.
"Jake is an accomplished and dedicated educator who will be an outstanding leader for our graduate and continuing education programs," said Cynthia Brown, MCLA vice president of academic affairs.
The announcement of his appointment described his work on bullying and wellness initiatives in the Pittsfield schools, and the district's achievements in maintaining adequate year progress and graduation rates on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. Pittsfield was the top performing system among 24 urban school districts.
His 2011 bullying policy was recognized as a model plan by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Pittsfield Schools were profiled for their efforts on CBS national news.
A recognized expert in urban school leadership, Eberwein was co-chairman of the Massachusetts Urban Superintendents Network, on the statewide Task Force on Proficiency Gaps, and as a reviewer of the state's successful federal Race to the Top application. He also wrote and implemented Pittsfield's Race to the Top plan.
"I feel privileged to work for an organization with such a strong reputation, and I greatly look forward to rolling up my sleeves and diving into the work in the coming months," said Eberwein in his statement.
Tags: academics, college administration, MCLA,
