When Dr. Marcelle Haddix rose to the podium at the August 30th ‘Welcome Back Bash’ to address faculty and staff in the UW-Madison School of Education as the school’s newest dean, it was truly a full-circle moment. Haddix’s parents met as students on the UW-Madison campus, and she was later born here. She grew up in Milwaukee. In June, she was selected at the 10th Dean of the School of Education and the first Black dean of the school since its founding in 1930. She also holds the Karen A. Falk Distinguished Chair in Education and a faculty appointment in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Haddix comes to Madison from Syracuse University where she worked for 16 years. She began her career there in 2008 as Assistant Professor of English Education and worked her way through the promotion ranks, earning the title of Distinguished Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race, and Justice. She chaired the Department of Reading and Language Arts in the School of Education from 2015 to 2021 when she became the Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives. She is also the founding co-director of the Lender Center for Social Justice at Syracuse University.
Dean Haddix is a renowned literacy scholar. In her research, she focuses on the experiences of students of color in English education and the important of centering blackness in educational practices and community spaces. She has published research in major literacy and education journals. Her book, Cultivating Racial and Linguistic Diversity in Literacy Teacher Education: Teachers Like Me, was published in 2016 and won the 2018 Outstanding Book Award from the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education. In 2021, she received the Divergent Award for Excellence in Literacy Advocacy from the Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research. Haddix was president of the Literacy Research Association, the professional association for literacy researchers and practitioners, from 2018 to 2019.
Dean Haddix’s commitment to literacy, particularly within Black communities, is not limited to the university. She believes deeply in connecting with the community and has facilitated literacy and wellness programming for youth and adults in Syracuse for many years. She is also passionate about the arts, theater, and dance.
Dean Haddix extends her concern from Black women’s wellness in her work as a reproductive doula and yoga instructor with over 500 hours of training. She co-founded the Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center in Syracuse’s south side. The center is “a Black woman led reproductive justice mission to end preventable death and illness in Black, African& Indigenous Communities in Syracuse, NY.” She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Café Sankofa Co-Operative, a wellness cooperative in the same southside community.
The School of Education has been ranked #1 in the country by the U.S. News and World Report Best Education and Graduate Schools rankings. Dean Haddix is excited and well-poised to lead. As the Madison community welcomes her, we look forward to the contributions that her intelligence, care, and passion will bring to the university and the greater Madison community.
