Professor, UNLV College of Education
Nevada Board Member since 2020
Metcalf joined UNLV as dean in 2013. Metcalf said he was recruited to elevate the college’s work and engagement at the local, state and national level, and to improve its impact among academic peers, education and behavioral health practitioners and policymakers. He stepped down from his post as dean of the College of Education in August of 2020 and was on professional development leave for a year. He plans to return to faculty at UNLV to focus on teacher education and research with an emphasis on policy.
As dean, he has advocated for education research, and has developed what he refers to as ‘next generation’ practices. Under Metcalf’s leadership, the College of Education established its first endowed chair with funding from the Dunn Family Foundation. The endowed chair supports the development of educational assessment tools and research. The college also received one of the largest-ever gifts to UNLV – $12.9 million – from the estate of the late philanthropist Kitty Rodman for scholarships and graduate fellowships in Special Education. Additionally, as a reflection of his impact and the high quality of work under his stewardship the college jumped 70+ spots on the U.S. News & World Report’s best education colleges list.
Prior to joining UNLV, Metcalf served as dean of the College of Education, interim vice president for operations and sponsored research, and director of institutional research at the University of West Georgia. He had also spent more than a decade as a member of the faculty of the School of Education at Indiana University-Bloomington. Metcalf began his career as a public-school band and orchestra teacher after receiving his bachelor's degree in music education from Ball State University.
He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University. Metcalf's research in teacher education and in education policy, particularly his research on school choice, has been recognized by the Association of Teacher Educators, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and the American Evaluation Association, among others.
His publications include a co-authored textbook, The Act of Teaching, now in its seventh edition. Previous leadership positions include service as director of the Indiana Center for Evaluation (Indiana University, 1997-2003) and as an associate superintendent for research and assessment (Monroe County Community Schools, Bloomington, Indiana, 2004-2006).
