Rate My Professor Brian Yontz

Brian D. Yontz, Ph.D., serves as University Provost and Professor of Education at Wittenberg University. He joined the Education Department in Fall 2006 and has held extensive administrative and teaching roles. Yontz earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, M.S. from Wright State University, and B.A. from Asbury College. Prior to Wittenberg, he was Partnership and Outreach Coordinator at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and worked at Stivers School for the Arts in the Dayton Public Schools. Key positions at Wittenberg include Director of Student Teaching and Teacher Placement (2006-2009), Director of Teacher Licensure (2009-2015), NCATE accreditation coordinator (2010-2013), Department Chair (2017-2022), Faculty Athletics Representative (2015-2022), and Interim Director of the Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic and Urban Engagement (2021). He served as Interim Provost during the 2022-2023 academic year and was appointed permanent Provost on April 19, 2023. In this role, he guided Wittenberg through the AAC&U Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute, launched a mock trial program, and oversaw new undergraduate programs in neuroscience, public health, and international business.

Yontz teaches education policy, urban education, and foundations of education at graduate and undergraduate levels, with expertise in Foundations & Policy. His research centers on initial teacher education program policy and design, school funding, and the intersection of society, history, policy, and schools. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, such as "Degree Completers at Baccalaureate Arts and Sciences Institutions and the Contemporary U.S. Macroeconomy" (2014), "Teachers' Perspectives of the Emphasis on Stewardship from Their Initial Teacher Preparation Program" (2014), "Preservice Teachers' Perspectives of the Emphasis on Stewardship from Their Initial Teacher Preparation" (2013), "Continuing the Conversation: Ensuring Responsible Stewardship of Schools" (2012), and "A Three Year Journey: Lessons Learned from Integrating Teacher Preparation and Urban Studies" (2012). Yontz has presented at state, national, and international conferences and obtained numerous grants from government and foundation entities. Awards include the National Scholar Award from the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (2015) for research on alternative teacher credentialing pathways, Matthies Award (2018), Excellence in Community Service Award (2019), and Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Teaching (2020), the university's top faculty honor. He served as a Board of Examiner member for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (2013-2016) and trustee for the Ohio Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (2020-2023). A professional highlight was studying with Dr. John Goodlad in the National Network for Educational Renewal’s Leadership Associates Program in 2006.