by Claire Miller
Paul A. Alberto, College of Education Regents' Professor in Intellectual Disabilities, was appointed the COE's interim dean, effective July 1.
Alberto earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Hunter College in 1971, a master's degree in mental retardation from Fordham University in 1973 and a doctoral degree in severe disabilities from Georgia State University in 1976. After graduating from GSU, he joined the COE faculty as an assistant professor of special education and was promoted to associate professor and professor in 1981 and 1987, respectively.
In addition to teaching special education courses, Alberto has served as director of GSU's Bureau for Students with Multiple and Severe Disabilities since 1986, coordinated the COE's Multiple and Severe Disabilities program since 1976 and chaired the GSU Senate’s executive committee for eight years.
Alberto's research interests include functional literacy, behavioral instruction strategies and functional analysis, and his findings in these areas have been published in numerous academic journals. Additionally, his textbook entitled, "Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers," has been translated into several languages, including Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
Alberto said his new role in the COE positions him to work with the faculty in efforts to partner with other departments and colleges at GSU in its research and instruction.
"As interim dean, I realize that this is not the time for us to pause, but to continue with advances being made within our college," he said. "Moving forward, we need to fully participate in the increasingly interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching happening at Georgia State and in higher education in general."
To view Alberto's welcome message, visit http://education.gsu.edu/main/dean.htm.
