News

"It Started With Education." A sesquicentennial faculty meeting event inaugurates new school year for College of Education faculty.

(August 15, 2007) The College of Education launched the new school year with a dinner event for academic faculty and administrative professionals at the Brown Ballroom at Bone. Over three hundred College of Education faculty and faculty associates attended the dinner, which, in honor of our sesquicentennial anniversary, replaced the Annual COE Fall Faculty breakfast meeting.

Beatrice Smith, chair of College Council, welcomed the attendees and introduced Vice President and Provost John Presley. Presley announced that he is looking forward to joining the College in spring 2008. He praised the high work ethic of College faculty, in regard to research and grants as well as teaching. The Provost's impact on the College 04-08: 38 hires/searches approved, $728,448 enhancement approvals, and support for College initiatives.

The following new faculty members were introduced:

College of Education, Darrell Kruger, Associate Dean

Promoted to Associate Professor and Tenure

• Anita Bohn
• Lucille Eckrich
• Barbara Meyer

Promoted to Professor

• Vicky Morgan
• George Peterson-Karlan

Dr. Kruger emphasized that "Faculty in the College are highly motivated, talented, and have an incredible work ethic." He said that the most rewarding part of his role in the Dean's Office is to get resources to faculty—especially for conference travel support.

Dean Curtis urged the faculty to " ... chart the course, post celebration, for letting others know what it means to provide a world-class, 21st Century education." A presentation by Vice President and Provost John Presley and recognition of teaching excellence by academic faculty followed.

Recognizing excellence in teaching

• Category I: Maureen Angell, Jeff Bakken, and Patricia Klass
• Category II: Jeanne Boyle, Peggy Swerdlik, and Ann Weber
• Research Initiative: Debbie Shelden and Amee Adkins

Recognizing enhancing teaching

• Curriculum and Instruction:
  • Anita Bohn has developed and taught the first honors education course in Curriculum and Instruction.
  • Barbara Meyer teaches in a "paperless classrooms" where she models for future educators how to use technology in a way that will benefit them in their classrooms.
  • Gary Weilbacher has developed and implemented a unique Professional Development School with District 87 specifically for students preparing to be middle school teachers.
• Educational Administration and Foundations:
  • Beth Hatt-Echeverria developed and taught in an innovative 6-hour summer immersion program in Mexico for undergraduate teacher candidates.
  • Judy Mogilka developed a program and taught in a unique educational setting during the past 3 years at the Lakota Sioux Rosebud Indian Reservation in Mission, South Dakota.
  • John Rugutt was honored for his teaching when he received the EAF Department's Manahan Teaching Excellence Award in May 2007.
    
• Special Education:
  • Stacey Bock and Nikki Michalak have delivered an online course to over 700 parents and professionals in graduate and non-credit courses.
  • Maribeth Lartz has expanded the deaf and hard-of-hearing curriculum, engaging practicing teachers, speech pathologists, and audiologists in work with children ages birth-3 years who have hearing loss.
  • Debbie Shelden has developed and implemented the first Transition Specialist advanced certificate program in Lake County, IL and on-campus; the program has recruited its second cohort of students that will begin this fall.
    
• Metcalf:
  • Donna Zawatski uses the literacy based Orff Schulwerk approach to teach music by using words to create patterns that are used in music. The approach exemplifies differentiated instruction by providing students with multiple methods for learning music concepts.
  • Karen Irvin has implemented an innovative writing program, based on Lucy Calkin's work, using writing about her own childhood to teach mini-lessons and "seed" stories to her students.
• U-High: Jim Kurz and Diane Walker
  • Jim Kurtz led an instructional team through the creation and implementation of a laptop program, which has resulted in 20 faculty and 550 students who use highly interactive teaching and learning activities.
  • Diane Walker has impacted the teaching of future educators and colleagues as she modeled high standards and exemplary teaching. As one of her U-High colleagues stated, "I am a better teacher today because as a new teacher I had the opportunity to watch Diane teach."

The evening ended with "It Started with Education," Storytelling by John Kirk, Professor Emeritus, Theatre.