Faculty

Dr. José Cossa is a Mozambican scholar, writer/author, researcher, poet, blogger, tweeter, podcaster, entrepreneur, and associate professor in the College of Education at Penn State. Dr. Cossa holds a Ph.D. in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies with a depth area in Comparative and International Education from Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of the book Power, Politics, and Higher Education in Southern Africa: International Regimes, Local Governments, and Educational Autonomy; the recipient of the 2012 Joyce Cain Award for Distinguished Research on People of African Descent; a cofounder of AI4Afrika; and a member of the MacArthur Foundation 100&Change Panel of Judges for two consecutive years (2018 Inaugural Challenge and 2019). Dr. Cossa’s research focus is on adult online and distance education; education in Africa; African Renaissance; power dynamics in negotiation over educational policy; unveiling issues inherent in the promise of modernity and working toward de-colonializing, de-bordering, de-peripherizing, and de-centering the world; higher education policy and administration; system transfer; international development; global and social justice; and related topics. Dr. Cossa is engaged in a new (exterior to modernity) theorizing, which he coined Cosmo-uBuntu. He has taught in South Africa, Egypt, and the United States.

Dr. William C. Diehl is an assistant professor of education in the Lifelong Learning and Adult Education program. He is also the coordinator of Online Graduate Programs and lead faculty. Dr. Diehl's research includes foundations of distance and adult education, emerging technologies, and intercultural communication. He serves as an adviser to the graduate assistant group and Lifelong Learning and Adult Education GSA group.