Veteran Volusia County Schools administrator Dr. Chris Colwell is joining the faculty at Stetson University – becoming the first “third generation” professor in Stetson’s history.

Colwell will be an associate professor of teacher education, as well as director of undergraduate education and chair of the Undergraduate Teaching Council.

His grandfather, Ernest Cadman (Pomp) Colwell, was a professor of New Testament Greek in the 1960s and 1970s following his retirement as president of the University of Chicago and president of the Claremont School of Theology. Chris Colwell’s father, C. Carter Colwell, was a beloved professor of English at Stetson from 1958 until his death in 1991. Carter Colwell also served as department chair and was a winner of Stetson’s highest teaching honor, the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“I am very excited to be returning to my alma mater, an institution that transforms lives through academic excellence, inspired learning and a focus on values and civic responsibility,” said Colwell, who earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Stetson.

A leader in K-12 education for 34 years, Colwell has experience as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor and principal at the elementary, middle and high school level. He served as assistant superintendent for instruction and, most recently, as deputy superintendent for instructional services for the Volusia County School Board.

He received his Bachelor of Arts from Stetson in 1977 and his Master of Education degree from Stetson in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Central Florida in 1989.

Colwell’s honors include being named Florida Principal of the Year in 1997, Phi Delta Kappa Professional Education Association Educator of the Year in 1996 and District Administrator of the Year in 2007. He is past president of the Florida Organization of Instructional Leaders and is a frequent speaker on issues of educational significance at the state and national level. He also served on the College of Arts & Sciences Advisory Board at Stetson from 2001-07 and 2008-11.

This fall at Stetson, he will teach Principles and Methods for Diverse Learners, a required course for undergraduate teacher education majors, and Improving Reading and Writing Skills in Middle and Secondary Schools, a course for secondary education and music education students. Colwell may also supervise student teachers doing internships in Central Florida schools.

“Chris Colwell brings an incredibly wide array of experience and expertise in K-12 education, and he will make major contributions to every undertaking of the Department of Teacher Education,” said Dr.Glen Epley, professor and chair of teacher education. “He will begin by focusing on initial teacher preparation, both as a professor of essential courses in reading and methods of teaching and as director of undergraduate education. Much of his work over the last several years has focused on improving teacher performance in individual classrooms, and his position at Stetson will open new opportunities for him to continue that valuable work.”

Epley was deputy superintendent of Volusia schools in the 1980s, and he remembers fondly when Colwell came to Volusia from Seminole County where he was a rising star elementary school principal.

“One of the greatest advances in Volusia County when I was a district administrator was having Chris Colwell join us,” Epley said. “The same great advance is in store for Stetson. Chris has succeeded brilliantly at every stage of his career, and we are delighted that he is bringing his intelligence, integrity and industry to bear on the challenges of preparing the next generation of teachers and leaders in our schools.”

Stetson has one of Florida’s oldest and most highly regarded professional teacher preparation programs, dating back to the 1890s. Stetson is the state’s only private university to hold National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation for all undergraduate and graduate programs. The university is a leader in education reform and a pioneer in research into single-gender classroom education.

Stetson teacher education graduates have exceptional records of accomplishment; many, like Colwell, rise to positions of prominence in their school districts, and many others win accolades such as Teacher of the Year or Principal of the Year.