Photos by Cydney Scott

Faculty & Staff

Meet Penny Bishop

BU Wheelock’s new dean talks about her experience as a first-gen student, her passion for education, and what led her to BU

A leading researcher in adolescent development and former fourth grade Hula-Hoop champion is BU Wheelock’s new dean. 

Penny Bishop, who had been dean of the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development since 2021, assumed leadership at BU Wheelock on August 1, 2024. Bishop is a leading scholar on the intersection between adolescent development and education and the coauthor of seven books on education reform. 

Bishop, who relocated to Boston with her husband,
Marc Ducharme, and dog, Tally, spoke with BU Wheelock about her own experience in school, going to college as a first-generation student, and why she’s thrilled to take the top job at BU Wheelock.

BU Wheelock: How did your own school experience shape the work you would eventually do as an adult?

Penny Bishop: I am a ninth-generation Vermonter, and I attended public schools K–12. Something that was critical in my own upbringing was a move that I made from a classroom with only 12 students in the fourth grade to an open concept classroom of about 50 students. I found myself awash in uncertainty at that moment. I reflect on that [connection] now, thinking about how a lot of my research focus has been on students’ development of a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging at that age.

You were a first-generation college student. What was that experience like for you?

I had a very circuitous route through university life. In fact, I went through four different institutions to get my first degree. It’s not an uncommon story for first-generation students to find themselves in a variety of circumstances, often financially related. So it
was a bit of a bumpy road at the beginning, but then I found myself loving teaching, loving writing, and on the higher ed path quite unexpectedly.

When did teaching become a passion for you?

I was not someone who grew up always wanting to teach third grade or 10th grade biology. Coming from a working-class background, I was thinking about [it practically]: If I go to college, I need to get a job, and I need to move on from there and support myself. It wasn’t until I actually got into my middle school classroom and started to teach that I realized what a creative act teaching is. No one had ever mentioned that part to me or told me about the inspiring roles that you play, especially for middle school students—because they are in the midst of identity development. I really loved that age group and loved teaching.

Talk about your transition into higher education leadership.

Early on, I found myself in leadership positions without necessarily seeking them out. Gradually, those roles became more comprehensive and complex, increasing in responsibility. At the root of them all was this idea that there are complex and interesting problems to solve.

The shift to dean was a bit different because it was much more conscious. I think that really stemmed from a desire to strengthen communities. That’s really at the heart of what a good dean of a college of education and human development does.

What are the top challenges facing young people today?

We are seeing a rise in depression, anxiety, and disengagement and a lack of affiliation—all of the pieces that could be the crumbling of our democracy. I think of our public schools as the foundation of a solid democracy, and I can’t imagine a better place to be investing our time and energy than in those places where youth need to grapple with challenging questions and develop skills to have difficult conversations and find a sense of purpose.

What drew you to BU Wheelock?

I’m extraordinarily excited about the mission of the college. I’m excited to be part of a community that puts that out front and leads with the mission to disrupt inequity. That’s hard work. It’s daunting work. I see such a strong community here of scholars and teachers who are already doing that in so many ways. I was also drawn to the opportunity to continue this work post-merger. Under Dean David Chard’s leadership, the transition that he led between historic Wheelock and BU helped the college come out stronger. When you have a merger of institutions where identity is so central, it’s rare to be able to point to folks who feel like it’s been successful, much less value-added. So that’s an amazing time to be able to join a community.

Anything else that you would want the BU community to know about Penny Bishop?

You mean, other than that I won a Hula-Hoop contest in fourth grade?