Q: How will SUSE be different five years from now under the leadership of Dean Stipek and yourself?

A: I think one of the most important things to Deborah is to reach out to both the educational community outside SUSE and to Stanford University outside SUSE and to establish stronger, mutually beneficial relationships. I’m sure many of those relationships will move forward through initiatives like the Gardner Center. I think we’ll also see a continuation of the great tradition of basic educational research that we’ve seen at SUSE.

Q: What do you see as the biggest strengths of the SUSE faculty?

A: The biggest strengths of the SUSE faculty are their creativity as researchers, and I think that is the very core of the school. It’s only because of that that we have great graduate programs and make a uniquely valuable contribution to education policy and practice.

Q: How will being a philosopher of education affect your approach to this position?

A: I have a very analytic cast of mind so I do tend not to make decisions in a very spontaneous way. I’m also constantly looking for the principle in decisions — the academic principle or the moral principle that justifies doing something rather than something else. No doubt that is related to the fact that I am a philosopher especially interested in ethics and justice.

Q: You came to Stanford in 1999 after 20 years at the University of Alberta, Canada. What drew you to Stanford?

A: The opportunity to continue my career at what is the best research-oriented school of education in North America, and probably in the world. That was an opportunity that I just couldn’t give up. When I came here to be interviewed, I was astonished that I could have so many interesting conversations with students and faculty in a short period of 48 hours. I think that’s really what charmed me.

Q: You were born in Dublin, Ireland and are still an Irish citizen. How do you maintain ties to your Irish past?

A: I keep in very close touch with my family. I’m on the phone at least once a week. And I still love to go back there. So, I‘m very mindful of the fact that my identity is Irish at the core, even though I’ve now lived almost half my adult life elsewhere.