Photo of Northeastern's Main Campus overlooking the Commons, Student Union, C Building and Bernard J. Brommel Hall.

Friday, July 29, 2022

After a national search, Thomas Philion has been appointed dean of Northeastern Illinois University’s Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education.

Philion came to Northeastern from Roosevelt University, where he served as the dean of the College of Education and associate provost of Strategic Initiatives. Prior to becoming dean in 2013, he served as associate dean and teacher preparation department chair at Roosevelt. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant professor of English and assistant director of the English Education Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also a former middle school reading teacher.

Over the last nine years, Philion has been responsible for the acquisition of $10 million in external grants and contracts, including a recent grant to create a new tutoring corps for Chicago Public Schools. He is a member of Deans for Impact, a national nonprofit organization focused on improving student-learning outcomes by changing the way this country prepares teachers. Philion also serves on the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board in Illinois.

Philion earned a B.A. in English from Fordham University, and an M.A. in English and Ph.D. in English and Education from the University of Michigan. He has authored more than 20 articles and reports on topics such as teacher research, portfolio pedagogy and collaborative learning.

Photo of Thomas Philion in a dark suit, blue and white striped shirt and tie, smiling in front of a gray background.
Thomas Philion