Mason’s Higher Education Program Welcomes New Director

Mason’s Higher Education Program Welcomes New Director

The Higher Education Program at George Mason University is pleased to announce the appointment of its new director, Dr. P. Daniel Chen.

 “I am very excited to join George Mason University,” said Dr. Chen. “I have known the scholarly works of current Mason higher education program faculty for a long time and I am honored to join this very accomplished and distinguished group of faculty.”

Dr. Chen is currently an associate professor and higher education program coordinator at the University of North Texas where he began his career as a faculty member in 2008 and became program coordinator in 2013. Prior to becoming a faculty member at UNT, Dr. Chen was a research analyst for the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) at Indiana University Bloomington. Dr. Chen started his career as a biomedical engineer, but his desire to work in a helping profession led him to the field of counseling and then higher education. Dr. Chen’s teaching and research interests reflect this diverse and interdisciplinary background. His research has focused on higher education accountability, STEM education, ethics and spirituality in higher education, and assessment of student learning outcomes. Dr. Chen is also very interested in technology and how it affects higher education institutions and students.

Dr. Chen earned his PhD in higher education from Florida State University. He completed his master’s degree in counseling at the University of North Texas and his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan.

“Many people have told me that George Mason University is a very innovative institution and I am thrilled to bring my knowledge and skills to serve the Mason community.”