The UW–Madison School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) hosted a festschrift on June 3 to honor longtime faculty members Julie Mead and Julie Underwood (“the Julies”) on the occasion of their retirements.
A festschrift is a collection of work by different authors presented in honor of a scholar. Instead of a traditional festschrift that is written and published, the festschrift celebrating Mead and Underwood took the form of a live event featuring panel discussions, video tributes, and more to honor these outstanding faculty and thank them for their many years of service to UW–Madison.
About Julie Mead
Julie Mead served on the ELPA faculty from 1999 to 2021. She was the department chair from 2010-2013 and 2017-2018 and associate dean from 2016 to 2021. Before coming to UW–Madison, she was a faculty member at the University of the Pacific and UW–Milwaukee. Mead was named vice president of the Education Law Association in November 2019 and now serves as the organization’s president.
Mead has co-authored several books, including “The Legal Aspects of Special Education and Pupil Services,” “Charter Schools and the Law: Establishing New Legal Relationships,” “The Principal’s Legal Handbook” (2nd through 5th editions), as well as many research and scholarly papers. She researches and writes about the legal aspects of education, centering on legal issues related to special education and various forms of school choice.
About Julie Underwood
Julie Underwood was the first woman to lead the UW–Madison School of Education as dean from 2005 to 2015. Prior to that role, she served on the faculty of the Department of Educational Administration (now ELPA) at UW–Madison from 1986 to 1995, as dean of Miami University’s School of Education and Allied Professions (now School of Education, Health, and Society) from 1995 to 1998, and as the associate executive director and general counsel for the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for seven years.
Underwood has co-authored several books, including “School Law for Teachers,” “Legal Aspects of Special Education and Pupil Services,” and “The Principal’s Legal Handbook,” and has published several scholarly articles. She writes a monthly column for Phi Betta Kappan and is currently the board president for the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools.