Julia M Gossard

Biography

Dr. Julia M. Gossard is an experienced and impactful higher education administrator, researcher, and award-winning educator. She is the Associate Dean for Faculty Success in the College of Arts and Science (ArtSci) and a Professor of History.

As Associate Dean for Faculty Success, she serves as a leader for faculty development and affairs in the college. In addition to spearheading ArtSci’s inaugural strategic plan, Associate Dean Gossard oversees the promotion and tenure process for the college; designs and implements efforts to promote faculty professional development; fosters a culture of excellence in teaching and research; and drives innovative, strategic projects within and with other Colleges aligned with institutional priorities. One such priority includes the Initiative on Health and Educational Disparities that sees research and curricular collaboration between three colleges at USU. Having previously served as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2022 until the college’s merger into ArtSci in 2025, Dr. Gossard also has experience in the research administration realm, championing faculty success in the humanities and social sciences.

As a Professor of History, she examines the history of society, especially that of childhood and youth, through quantitative and qualitative research methods in Europe and the United States. She is also an award-winning researcher and teacher, pushing the boundaries of higher education pedagogy and researching humanities and social sciences teaching practices. She has received many competitive international and national research grants and awards from prestigious organizations such as the American Historical Association, the Mellon Foundation, the Newberry Library, the Society for the History of Childhood and Youth, and the Society for French Historical Studies, to name a few. Her excellence in research has been recognized with several publication awards including the Fass-Sandin Prize (2019) from the Society for the History of Childhood & Youth as well as the Best Article Prize (2017) from the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth along with honorable mention citations from other organizations. Dr. Gossard is the author of three books: Young Subjects: Children, State-Building, and Social Reform in the 18th-Century French World (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2021); Habits of Mind: Designing Courses for Student Success (USU ETE Press, 2023); and Encountering Childhoods in Vast Early America (Routledge, 2024). She is the editor of the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth. Dr. Gossard is currently researching higher educational pedagogical practices, especially high-impact practices, and the use of generative artificial intelligence in the classroom. In the historical discipline, she is also studying in the construction of modern girlhood and the concept of “double age.” Dr. Gossard is available for publishing and speaking opportunities for higher education teaching as well as her specialties in historical research.