The University of Michigan School Of Education:
The Beginnings
Allen S. Whitney, first Dean
of the SoE (1921 to 1929)
The roots of the School of Education go back to 1879 and William Payne, who held the first Chair of the Science and Art of Teaching. This was the first permanent chair devoted exclusively to the preparation of teachers in any American college or university.
In 1907, Allen S. Whitney was appointed to the chair and the program became a separate Department of Education within the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. In 1921, Whitney became the first Dean of the School of Education and served until 1929.
