On Feb. 11, Dr. Dean Goon was hired as the Dean of the College of Online and Adult Studies at AU after working seven years as an associate professor and the president of innovative education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Goon will lead more than 20 employees in advancing online and non-traditional education at AU. He will also be directing and providing oversight to the Founders school of continuing education.

“This dean position is a new position for Ashland,” Goon said. “It’s something that we want to be forward thinking and very strategic for the future of not only online education, but non-traditional modalities going into the future.”

Goon said he accepted the position a month into the spring semester to get an early start in his tenure at Ashland University.

Throughout his first two weeks, Goon has been riding the learning curve to understanding where Ashland stands and where the university needs improvement for the years to come.

“Anytime you start a new adventure you spend your first couple of weeks just understanding the culture of the university, meeting a lot of folks, sitting in on a lot of meetings, and trying to understand where we’re at and where we need to go,” Goon said.

Goon is leaving an institution in Mount Vernon Nazarene where he orchestrated profund changes in the university’s realm of online education.

Goon pioneered a project called “Summer learn” involving lower tuition rates and easier acceptance for guest students from other universities to increase the number of students enrolled in online classes at Mount Vernon Nazarene.

“We really were doubling our growth in the first couple of years,” Goon said. “When I left, we had over 600 students that were taking courses with us online in the summer.”

Despite the seismic change he cause at MVNU, Goon sought the opportunity to bring his skill set to AU.

“I always had great respect for Ashland and knew I would love to be [a] part of a larger institution,” Goon said.

From 2008 to 2010, Goon worked as an adjunct professor at Ashland University and will be teaching classes again as a part of his new position.

“I guess for a lack of a better work I will be wearing two hats,” Goon said.

Goon carried a dual role at Mount Vernon Nazarene giving him prior experience wearing multiple hats. Good said his experience as both a professor and an administrator has given him a ‘heart’ for faculty members.

“I want to equip people to do good work and however I can best support the people that are working with me, not for me, is very important,” Goon said.

As the dean of online studies, Goon said he desires to drive learner’s satisfaction and flexibility through online education.

“We’re past the point of which is better,” Goon said, “We’re talking about ways to always make it better.”

Goon said he wants to keep Ashland University on pace with the educational advances occurring across the country such as competency-based education and College Credit Plus with high school students.

“I think within the next couple of years you are going to hear some really good things of what’s coming out of this office,” Goon said.