Sue Rieg, an experienced educator and administrator, has been selected to serve as Interim Dean of IUP’s College of Education and Communications.
Rieg will begin work in this role on Aug. 16, filling the vacancy created by Dean Lara Luetkehans, who will be serving as interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs upon the Aug. 20 retirement of Timothy Moerland.
“IUP was established as an institution to educate teachers, and teacher education is a key part of our portfolio today,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “Having a strong leader of the College of Education and Communications is absolutely critical to our future. IUP is very fortunate to have someone with these great credentials to step into this role and keep us moving forward,” he said.
Rieg retired from IUP in June after 20 years of work as an IUP faculty member and administrator, most recently as assistant chairperson of the Department of Professional Studies in Education. At IUP, she served as Dean’s Associate for Educator Preparation, Director of Professional Development School Partnerships, Director of Field Placements, Chairperson of the Department of Professional Studies in Education, and as an assistant, associate, and full professor in the Department of Professional Studies.
Prior to coming to IUP, Rieg had 19 years of experience in the K-12 public school system as an elementary school teacher, instructional support teacher, and elementary school principal in the Indiana Area School District. Rieg has authored grants totaling more than $1 million dollars, including a 2018 Innovative Teacher and Principal Residency Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
“Rieg has almost four decades of experience in education, ranging from elementary teacher to IUP faculty to university administration,” Luetkehans said. “She was a great team leader in the office of the Dean of Education and Communications, and a leader in her department. She has a great deal of IUP knowledge, and I am confident that this will help her to hit the ground running to provide not only stability, but to keep the momentum moving forward with new initiatives to serve our students and our College.
“Her success in securing grants, including a grant of nearly $1 million for teacher innovation to help transform the education curriculum, as well as her work to build partnerships with a number of educational entities, speaks to her initiative and her commitment to moving the discipline and the College forward,” Luetkehans said.
Rieg has been recognized for excellence in her field with selection by the Association of Teacher Education as a 2020 clinical practice fellow and in 2016 when she was named Pennsylvania’s Teacher Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators. At IUP, she has been honored with the Faculty Leader Award for the IUP College of Education and Communications in 2016 and the IUP Distinguished Faculty Award for Service in 2014.
She has co-authored two books, co-edited one book, and has written one book chapter and several professional articles. She has presented at international, national, regional, state, and local conferences. Her research interests include professional development schools, school leadership, classroom assessment, and students at-risk.
Rieg received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and her master’s degree in Elementary Mathematics from IUP. She earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree and principal certification from Duquesne University.
She has also created an endowed scholarship to benefit IUP students: the Leon Miller Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of her first-grade teacher.
“I truly am honored to be appointed to serve as interim dean of the College of Education and Communications,” Rieg said. “I’m a proud graduate of IUP’s elementary education program and master’s program. After 19 years in K-12 education, I was very pleased to join the IUP community. I truly enjoyed my time as a faculty member and teaching all levels of students, as well as working in administration for the College.
“I truly believe that all of these experiences – both in public education and higher education – led me to this role. It’s a unique privilege to work with such remarkable students and such dedicated faculty and staff. We’ve all seen a great deal of change in the last several years, and a number of challenges. But, with these challenges come opportunities, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to enhance the opportunities we have and manage the challenges that lie ahead,” Rieg said.
“In my work as director of professional development school partnerships, I’ve had the opportunity to create a number of partnerships with schools and other education entities. One of my intentions is to support and grow these existing partnerships, and to look for and build new ones with additional programs within the College,” she said.
“I know that I have a lot to learn, but I’m really looking forward to learning more about all of the programs within our College, and I am confident that the chairpersons in the College will provide me with the knowledge I need to support our students, faculty, and staff as well as help our programs and departments grow.”