April 13, 1998 Contact: Elizabeth Latt 615-322-2706 elizabeth.p.latt@vanderbilt.edu

Iowa State interim dean of education

named dean of Vanderbilt's Peabody College

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Camilla Persson Benbow, interim dean of the Iowa State University's College of Education and an authority on academically talented children, has been named dean of Peabody College, Vanderbilt University's college of education and human development.

Provost Thomas G. Burish announced that Benbow, whose appointment is effective July 1998, will succeed James W. Pellegrino, who announced last fall that he would resign as dean at the end of the 1997-98 academic year in order to return full time to teaching and research.

"Camilla Benbow brings world-class scholarship and distinguished academic leadership to Peabody," Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt said. "She has a strong commitment to undergraduate education and research and public service that will lead the college to a new level of excellence. I expect her to make a tremendous contribution to the University."

Provost Thomas G. Burish added, "Camilla Benbow is an unusually talented individual with enormous energy, a great concern for and knowledge regarding children and their education, and a distinguished record of scholarly achievement. In her capacity as both a department chair and dean, she has shown a commitment to the highest values, steady resolve and an ability to focus on important areas in which she can make a difference."

Benbow said, "I am absolutely delighted to be joining such a fine college of education and human development, on of the best nationally, and such a distinguished faculty and staff. Together, I am confident that we will move Peabody College to an even higher level of esteem and regard while providing strong leadership in education to the Nashville community, the state and the nation. The prospects are exciting!"

Benbow joined the Iowa State faculty as an associate professor of psychology in 1986. She was promoted to full professor in 1990, became department chair in 1992 and, in 1995, became ISU's youngest ever distinguished professor.

In 1996 she was recruited to become ISU's interim dean of education. Among her accomplishments as interim dean are the establishment of the college's Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching, which is now one of three nationally designated model programs; hiring of several senior scholars; enhancing faculty diversity and developing a $1.1 million legislative initiative to restructure teacher preparation at ISU.

As a scholar her principal area of interest is academic talent development. She also is interested in the fundamental nature of precocity and has collaborated with numerous investigators, in the United States and abroad, in seeking to understand advanced development from several perspectives. She has authored more than 100 articles and two books, "Academic Precocity: Aspects of Its Development" (1983) and "Intellectual Talent: Psychometric and Social Issues" (1996).

In what is considered a model for bridging developmental science and the needs of PreK-12 education, Benbow has translated her research into practice through a series of academic year and summer programs, which serve more than 4,000 students annually.

Her efforts in the educational policy arena address such issues as equity and ensuring the optimal development of all children. She augments her scholarship with classroom teaching in developmental psychology and giftedness.

In 1985 she received the National Association for Gifted Children's Early Scholar Award. In 1992 she received the association's Distinguished Scholar Award.

A fellow of the American Psychology Association, Benbow is serving a three-year term on APA's Committee on Accreditation. She is co-chairing an APA presidential task force on the development of high talent. The task force is working on a policy agenda and on-line virtual learning experiences for gifted youth.

Benbow received bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology, a master's degree in education and a doctorate in education, all from Johns Hopkins University. For her dissertation research, she earned the American Education Research Association's Research Award in Human Development. From 1981 to 1986 she was an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins, where she co-directed the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth. In 1991, she was inducted into Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars.

-VU-

Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately 5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute, a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center. Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range of graduate and professional degrees.

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