The College of Education presents its Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series for 2025-2026, titled Boldly Education: Leading the Future of Education. This year's series is inspired by the college's 2028 Strategic Vision, which aims to produce transformative research, prepare graduates to steward meaningful change, and advance educational equity.
The series brings together leading scholars and community leaders to explore critical topics at the intersection of research, teaching, and public engagement. This initiative is a platform for discussions that foster scholarship, discovery, and innovation, ultimately enhancing the lives of learners. Our speakers will provide action-oriented strategies and new ideas on how to build a responsive and inclusive environment that advances bold collaboration. Join us as we collectively explore what it means to lead the future of education.
Dr. Panayiota (Pani) Kendeou is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Guy Bond Chair in Reading in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kendeou directs the Reading + Learning Lab and co-directs the CEHD Learning Informatics Lab. In her research program, Dr. Kendeou develops theoretical models that explain how students learn during reading and uses those models to design and test innovative AI technologies that transform instruction and improve learning. The significance of her approach is in the development of theoretically oriented work and its translation into school-based practical applications. Dr. Kendeou has published extensively, and the impact of her work is reflected in traditional academic metrics (150+ publications; 300+ presentations at national and international conferences; $14+ million USD in federal grants) and her work has received numerous awards as well as featured in national and local media (e.g., KSTP, The Guardian, MPR News, 2023 APA Trends Report). Dr. Kendeou is currently the Editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology and serves on the editorial boards of Scientific Studies of Reading, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction, Educational Psychologist, and Educational Psychology Review. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Society for Text and Discourse (ST&D).