Dr. Ralph Mawdsley has been named the Roslyn Z. Wolf Endowed Chair in Urban School Leadership in CSU’s College of Education and Human Services. The late Ambassador Milton A. Wolf and his family established this endowment in memory of their late wife and mother Roslyn Z. Wolf, a member of the CSU Board of Trustees from 1990 to 1999. Mrs. Wolf had a particular interest in education and was very supportive of the College of Education and Human Services’ mission and initiatives. The holder of the chair is to have a particular focus on graduate preparation in school administration, be a prominent national and international scholar, and be dedicated to supporting urban school systems.

Dr. Mawdsley, a Professor of School Administration, has an international reputation in school law and extraordinary accomplishments in research, teaching, and service. His teaching specialties include School Law, Special Education Law, and Sports Law. He has over 400 publications, including 80 solicited book chapters and 22 books. His most recent books, Special Education Law: Cases and Materials (2d ed., 2007), co-authored with two law school colleagues, and Searches and Seizures and Drug Testing Procedures: Balancing Rights and School Safety (2d ed. 2008), co-authored with Dr. Charles Russo, reflect two areas of interest.

He has been awarded CSU’s highest faculty honors: an Outstanding Teaching Award and the Dr. Jennie Hwang Award for Faculty Excellence, both in 2003.

He has served as President of the Education Law Association (ELA) in 2001 and, in 2004, received the organization’s Marion McGhehey Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education Law. On the international stage, he was named a 2005 Fulbright Scholar and was appointed Visiting Professor of Law and Education at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In 2007, he was appointed as a Visiting Professor of Education Law at North-West University, Vaal Triangle, South Africa. Also in 2007, he was selected by the faculties of law and education at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia to be a Sir Alan Sewell Visiting Scholar and was appointed Visiting Professor of Education and Law.

Dr. Mawdsley holds a Ph.D. degree in Educational Administration from the University of Minnesota (1974) and a J.D. degree from the University of Illinois (1966).

As the Roslyn Z. Wolf Endowed Chair, Dr. Mawdsley will focus attention on challenging topics such as mobility, diversity, poverty, assessment and accountability, and the achievement gap. Through publications and conferences, he will convene international scholars in Cleveland to address these issues with school and community leaders.

Mrs. Wolf passed away in 2001; former Ambassador to Austria Milton Wolf passed away in 2005.

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