Dr. Kathryn Chval became Dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri in 2016, and has been a leader in the College since 2011. She is known for being student-orientated, strong, a servant leader, and committed to changing the field of education for the better. Dr. Chval has always been accessible and proactive about meeting with faculty, staff, and students to listen to their concerns and to support them so that they are successful.

The decision to change the leadership of the College of Education is untimely for many reasons. First, Dr. Chval has been very supportive of students advocating for Black lives, the removal of the Thomas Jefferson statue, and for bettering students' experiences at the University. Secondly, students are a little over a month away from returning to campus and navigating how things will look in the midst of a pandemic. Changing leadership at this time places students, faculty, and staff at risk without proper leadership in the college. Third, the reason for her being replaced lacked transparency and involvement of appropriate stakeholders--without proper input from the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Education. For those reasons we urge President Choi and Provost Ramchand to reconsider their decision to remove Dean Chval and to reinstate Dr. Chval as Dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri. 

Mizzou community, researchers, graduates, students, and supporters please sign this petition to show your support for Kathryn Chval and her contributions to the College of Education and to show we want her to continue to serve as Dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri.