Dean Hannafin to Leave Post

By Jill Borowski
Staff Writer

Robert Hannafin, dean of the College of Education, Information, and Technology, has announced that he will resign from his position at the end of the spring semester after three years at LIU. Hannafin has recently accepted the position as Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, effective July 1.

Hannafin has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Arizona State University and a B.S. in Accounting from St. Francis College. Prior to his time at LIU Post, he was a director in the learning and development group at Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, and a former professor and curriculum developer at three universities. From 1997 to 2004, he was an assistant/associate professor of curriculum at the College of William and Mary. From 2004 to 2008, he was an associate professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut.

Most recently as dean, Hannafin managed eight academic programs on three campuses of LIU. When asked about his favorite things about being the Dean he said, “I love the students and my colleagues. The faculty is extremely dedicated to student success and to making this world a better place. My least favorite things are budget cuts. But we needed to get leaner so that we can continue to provide the kind of quality education our students deserve.”

Hannafin made the decision to leave Post in order to be closer to home in Connecticut. He has been commuting from Connecticut to Long Island during his time here. Hannafin has every intention of staying connected to LIU Post, and has fond memories of his time here. He explained that the College of Education has recently been experiencing difficult times because of the decline in the number of teaching jobs available to graduates on Long Island. There are, however, a decent amount of jobs available if students put the effort into looking for them.