Michael Edmondson

Dean, College of Professional Studies (Interim)

Dr. Michael Edmondson started his tenure with NJCU as the Dean of Professional Education and Lifelong Learning (PELL) in April 2018, was appointed Interim Dean of the College of Professional Studies in September 2019, and then appointed Interim Director of NJCU @ Ft. Monmouth in September 2020. Dr. Edmondson also serves as an adjunct instructor for the NJCU Department of Management in the School of Business.

Prior to joining NJCU, Dr. Edmondson served Augustana College (IL) as an Associate Vice President in the Career/ Opportunities/ Research/Exploration (CORE) Center. Dr. Edmondson and his team created the nation’s first undergraduate professional preparation tracking system - The Viking Score.

Awards for his distinguished work include The Heritage Who's Who Among International Business Executives for Lifetime Achievement and the Philadelphia Entrepreneurial Inspiration Award. Dr. Edmondson was selected as a member of the 2013-2014 Senior Leadership Academy co-sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and American Academic Leadership Institute. Dr. Edmondson was selected as one of 29 higher education leaders from across the nation to be a member of the AGB Institute for Leadership & Governance in Higher Education Class of 2021.

Dr. Edmondson has an active speaking, research, and writing agenda with an emphasis on the intersection of personal growth and professional development. He brings a wealth of knowledge regarding organizational culture, career pathways, academic majors, workforce development, the future of work, management principles, leadership strategies, strategic thinking, and the dynamics driving today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous global marketplace. 

Business Experts Press has published six of Dr. Edmondson’s professional development books: Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigating Your Career (2015) Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies (2016), Success: Theory and Practice (2017), Strategic Thinking and Writing (2018), The Relevance of the Humanities to the 21st Century Workplace (2019), and Agility: Management Principles for A Volatile World (2021).

Dr. Edmondson received a BA in History from Cabrini College, a MA in History from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. in History from Temple University. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library awarded Dr. Edmondson a research grant that allowed him to complete his dissertation “The Foreign Policy of American Individualism: Herbert Clark Hoover, the Department of Commerce, and Mexico, 1921-1928.”