Dr. John Weaver, dean of library services and educational technology, has taken a new job at Florida College as academic dean.

Since 2011, Weaver has served as dean of library services and educational technology.

“It was a moment in which all of the units that supported the learning management system and other technology support for academics came under the library and really became a 21st century library,” Weaver said.

Weaver

Under Weaver’s oversight, the university has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for its mobile learning innovation, and an Adobe Creative Campus, due to digital creativity across campus curriculum. He also assisted in the creation of the Master Teachers Program in the Adams Center for faculty development and a new faculty program for spiritual formation.

During his time at Brown Library, Weaver and his colleagues launched a number of new centers for creative inquiry in the library, including the Maker Lab, the ACU Press, the Center for Heritage and Renewal in Spirituality, the Innovation Foundry, the Scholars Lab, and the Reading Commons. 

Weaver also influenced the recent renovation in the library, made possible by relocation of most of the print collection into new compact movable shelving on the lower level. This multistage refurbishment of the library will be completed this summer with the completion of the Packer Forum, a multi-functional event venue and collaboration space on the top floor of the library overlooking the center of campus.

For seven of his eight years at ACU, Weaver worked closely with the Provost of ACU, Dr. Robert Rhodes.

“I’m most grateful for the excellent leadership of Provost Rhodes, who has always supported the library as a center for student learning and faculty scholarship,” Weaver said. “The faculty and staff of ACU Library are second to none, and I’m continually amazed at their dedication and the excellence they bring to their work. I’ll miss very much the extraordinary team here at the Brown Library.”

In December 2019, Weaver will leave ACU for Temple Terrace, Florida, to step into the role of academic dean at Florida College, a faith-based liberal arts college. As Florida College’s academic dean, he will have the responsibility of leading faculty and academic programs, ensuring excellence of existing programs and developing new programs, overseeing the library, registrar and advising services.

“It’s a change for me because I go from library and educational technology, which is academic support, supporting faculty, to leading the teaching faculty within the college,” Weaver said.

Weaver said he is excited about the future of online and hybrid education, something he believes ACU has had good success with in recent years, but something Florida College is only beginning to explore. 

“I love ACU and believe in what we’re doing here, but for me, it was an opportunity to help lead a Christian college into the future for success and I felt like it was a good time for me to do that,” Weaver said.

Weaver laughed and said the thing it really comes down to, however, is that his oldest daughter is sixteen and plans to attend Florida College.

“So it was a real draw for me to be around her and for us to be able, as a family, to have that adventure together,” he said. “So family, but also faith led me there. I see it as a continuation of what I’ve done here and really my work with great colleagues at a great university, at ACU, has helped prepare me for that.”