TCU found its new dean for the College of Education not far from Fort Worth.

Dr. Frank Hernandez, who currently serves as the associate dean for SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development, is expected to start at TCU on June 30, according to an email sent by the Provost Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg.

“I am thrilled and honored to be joining the TCU College of Education, which has a long, rich history of preparing leaders willing and ready to make a difference in their communities,” Hernandez said in a statement. “I look forward to working with faculty and staff to impact the lives of our students through scholarship, teaching and service.”

Hernandez will replace Dr. Mary Patton, who retired last May.

Hernandez said he plans to change the perception that a TCU degree is unobtainable and unavailable to certain students. Instead, he wants students to know that their investment at TCU will pay off in the future.

In addition to overseeing the college’s faculty and staff, Hernandez will help prepare students to be leaders in various educational environments, Dahlberg said in the email.

“Frank is an accomplished scholar and visionary leader,” Dahlberg said in a statement. “As a former classroom teacher and principal and now higher education leader, Frank has unique expertise and proven outcomes in advancing the education ecosystem. His ability to listen and create an inclusive vision will be an asset to the university and the Fort Worth community as well. I am extremely pleased to welcome him to campus.”

TCU’s College of Education is home to 311 undergraduate students and 246 graduate students and is the only college in the nation with two on-campus laboratory schools.