New Education Dean Brings Decades of Real-World Experience to 海角社区

Dr. Octavius Mulligan wants prospective and current students seeking degrees in education to do more than consider 海角社区.
鈥淚f you want an authentic experience with professors who will challenge you to be one of the best teachers possible, then 海角社区is where you want to be,鈥 Mulligan said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want you to consider 海角社区. We want you to graduate from 海角社区.鈥
Mulligan graduated from 海角社区 four times:
鈥 BA, Early Childhood Education and Teaching, 1995
鈥 MAT, Teaching, 1998
鈥 Education Specialist (EdS), Curriculum and Instruction, 2000
鈥 Doctor of Education (EdD), 2014
In May this year, Mulligan crossed the stage again, this time to deliver the Commencement address to undergraduate and graduate students. 海角社区President Marshall Criser introduced Mulligan as the new Dean of the College of Education.
鈥淚t is an honor and a blessing to come back to 海角社区 to lead the College of Education as Dean. I loved 海角社区 when I became a student, and I love 海角社区 today,鈥 Mulligan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 home for me. It鈥檚 where it all started: my family and educational career. The relationships I have built were all birthed from my experience at 海角社区.鈥
Mulligan has been an educator since the mid-1990s, when he taught at White Sulphur Elementary School in Gainesville, Georgia. He would move on to become assistant principal at four other Georgia schools 鈥 Cornelia Elementary, South Habersham Middle School, Habersham Central High School, and White County High School 鈥 and director of the White County Ninth Grade Academy before becoming principal of Tesnatee Gap Elementary School in Cleveland, Georgia. He 鈥渞etired鈥 from there before being named Dean.
鈥淥ctavius has been impacting the people around him ever since he was a student at 海角社区. It is typical of his passion for education and our community that he is coming back to 海角社区 to create the next generation of educators and leaders,鈥 Criser said.
Fresh from nearly three decades of experience, Mulligan wants 海角社区鈥檚 students to understand 鈥渞ight from the start that education is not an easy field, especially today.鈥
鈥淢ake sure that you have a passion for people 鈥 students, teachers, parents 鈥 because the teaching profession is not your typical 9-5. Teaching is a calling, and our rewards are not monetary. Our rewards are those that come in the form of 鈥榶ou were my 4th-grade teacher, and you鈥檙e the reason I went into education,鈥 or 鈥業 didn鈥檛 like school until I was in your class.鈥欌
Mulligan has both transformational and servant leadership characteristics. He will draw from those as he leads the College of Education forward.
鈥淚 want to gain the trust and confidence of our team and encourage and lead them toward meeting the goals of the College of Education,鈥 Mulligan said. 鈥淲e will provide an education for our candidates that will be top-notch in the field of education.鈥
鈥淎s professors for the College of Education, we need to stay abreast of the current trends and issues as well as the challenges that our practitioners face daily. We need to be on the cutting edge to prepare our candidates for what they will face when they step into a classroom for the first time.鈥
The servant leader in him loves working with people and helping them reach their full potential, 鈥渏ust as someone did for me,鈥 Mulligan said. He thanks President Criser and the university for entrusting him with the position and plans to be a team leader.
鈥淭hroughout my career, I have learned that success is a result of the efforts of several individuals, and I honestly believe that no role 鈥 teacher, admin, para, professor, dean 鈥 can be accomplished alone. I am excited to collaborate with the talented faculty and staff already dedicated to the College of Education here at 海角社区 University. Together, I believe we can build upon the solid foundation that has been laid and continue the important work already in progress.鈥
For more information about the College of Education, visit piedmont.edu/education.