NJCU Selects Dr. João Sedycias, Distinguished Linguist and Transformative Teacher, To Be Dean of the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. João Sedycias has been selected as the new Dean of NJCU’s William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences. The selection was announced following a national search for qualified candidates, which included meetings and open forums with NJCU’s faculty, administrators, staff, and students. The appointment as dean is effective August 2016.

A transformative teacher and scholar with international experience in North and South America, Dr. Sedycias will also assume a faculty position as Professor in the Department of Modern Languages.

“Dean Sedycias’ academic acumen will help the College and the faculty develop academically and intellectually. His experience as a dean and scholar will ensure learning and research opportunities for students and faculty remain at the forefront of priorities,” stated Sue Henderson, President of NJCU.

Dr. Sedycias was the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at the State University of New York College at Oneonta from 2014 to 2016. He also served as Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at SUNY Oneonta, where he taught Spanish and Portuguese. From 2011 to 2014, Dr. Sedycias was Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he also taught Spanish and Portuguese. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Sedycias served as Chair of the Division of Humanities at Essex County College in Newark, NJ.

Dr. Sedycias has taught at colleges and universities both in the U.S. and abroad at all levels of the curriculum. He has an ongoing research agenda that has enjoyed international recognition and an equally strong record of teaching and service. He brings to NJCU over 12 years of successful domestic and international senior administrative experience at five equally large and dynamic institutions of higher learning, two in South America and three in the U.S. (New Jersey, Illinois, and New York).

Dr. Sedycias brings a strong commitment to the advancement of the arts and sciences and to the twin goals of excellence and opportunity in urban public higher education, along with a keen appreciation for the cultural wealth and diversity to be found in a vibrant college community such as NJCU’s, which he enjoys and knows well from his prior professional experience in northern New Jersey.

A linguist with an impressive knowledge of seven languages, Dr. Sedycias received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo where he also earned an M.A. in English, an M.A. in Spanish, and a B.A. in Spanish.