Greetings!

Welcome back for the spring 2008 semester. As many of you know, I have attempted to keep College faculty, staff and students well informed about my activities and that of the College on a weekly basis during the Fall 2007 semester.  I appreciate the feedback received and hope that in the end, regular communication is appreciated and that many of you may have a better sense of the Dean's role.  More so, I hope I have been able to show that this College is all about the fine faculty members, dedicated staff members, our outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, as well as our loyal and successful alumni and friends who support us.  We are all part of the team that will continue to make the College of Education an integral part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

And if you have not had an opportunity to receive or read my weekly emails, this semi-annual e-newsletter is a way to keep in touch with and hear about some of the major accomplishments of our College of Education community. 

The People Who Influence Us - And Those From The Past

Faculty and staff, undergraduate and graduate students, alumni and friends, schools and agencies in the community - we are indeed grateful for the many ways that people connect with us and that we connect with you. 

So many of our faculty members - both former and current - have influenced public policy and the field of Education in so many significant ways during the more than 100 years of the School/College of Education.  There is a rich history of excellence and groundbreaking activity that has taken place here at Illinois in the field of Education.  We hope to recognize the importance of our legacy as Professors James Anderson and Chris Span lead a group of graduate students combing the archives here in the College and at the world renowned U of I library to document the College's history.  This project should result in a book which will be published by the University of Illinois Press, perhaps as soon as 2009.

Leading the College to New Levels of Excellence

Managing a College of this size and complexity takes a team of dedicated faculty and staff. It has indeed been a pleasure to work with the current team. Both Associate Deans Dr. Violet Harris and Dr. Scott Johnson are new to their roles, and in fact, the role of Chief Information Officer is one that was just developed within the College, as Scott leads the effort to increase the role technology plays in the College and specifically the number of online master's programs we offer.

I am also pleased to announce that Executive Associate Dean, Dr. Lizanne DeStefano, Director of the Bureau of Educational Research, and faculty member of Educational Psychology, has recently been named a recipient of the Fox Family Professorship. This is a well deserved honor and one that formally acknowledge the role that Lizanne, and the College has played in building stronger relationships with the local community in order to improve public education as well as in the state and on the national level. We are beginning to organize a formal investiture ceremony. Information will be forthcoming.

We are currently in the process of identifying the new head for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. I should mention here that the search for a new C&I head provides us with an opportunity to identify not only an important part of the management team for the College, and presumably a great addition to the C&I department, but to also find the first holder of the Sheila M. Miller Professorship in Education. We are indebted to Sheila and Steve Miller of Houston for providing this important endowment which should help us attract an outstanding pool of candidates.

Through the generosity of the late Dr. Charles Dunn Hardie and his wife, we are pleased to acknowledge many of the programs and people who have benefited from the endowment left by the Hardies, including Dr. Walter Feinberg who recently retired after serving as the Hardie Professor in Education Philosophy, Charles Hardie's academic field. Three new faculty members will have the honor of holding a Hardie Professorship, and I hope to announce the honorees sometime in the new year.

Over several months, we have benefited from the tremendous wisdom and contributions of Interim Head, Raymond L. Price, on loan to us from the College of Engineering where he serves as the William H. Severns Chair in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering. Ray has played a key role, in conjunction with several faculty members from across the College and campus, in building our capacity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM). With help from Chancellor Richard Herman and Provost Linda Katehi, we have made great strides in strengthening the relationship with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in order to take science and math education to new levels of excellence.

STEM is indeed an important Initiative for the College, as one of our four key initiatives. The Center for Education in Small Urban Communities, led by Director, Dr. Julia Johnson, is developing closer ties with the local Champaign and Urbana communities through the efforts of teacher collaborators, Phil Wilder and Haeny Yoon.

More information will be soon be available for the other two key initiatives: The Forum on the Future of Public Education, which is led by President Emeritus Stanley O. Ikenberry and Professor Debra Bragg, and the Ubiquitous Learning Institute which is part of the Global Campus effort mentioned above. The Forum will enable us to connect with legislators on issues of public policy at the local, state, and national levels.

Education Students - Achieving Success

A wonderful tradition of recognizing students receiving private support from the College was started more than 20 years ago, and I am thrilled to continue that tradition.  On November 10 in Illini Union Ballrooms A, B and C, we hosted a program for more than 300 students, family members, faculty and staff advisors, and donors who gathered together to pay tribute to recipients of a vast array of fellowships, scholarships, and awards.  Students from every department of the College and from the departments in Liberal Arts and Sciences whose students make up of the bulk of our secondary education programs had a chance to acknowledge the importance of private support in the College. 

Our students continue to excel both in the classroom and on the field, so to speak.  In the most recent copy of the College's printed newsletter, "The Point," we profiled Jeremy "J" Leman, an accomplished student/athlete, who is quickly becoming one of most recognized football players in the country.  We are delighted that J completed his master's degree in Human Resource Education this semester.

From a December 10, 2007 Press Release posted on the website for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics:

Senior linebacker J Leman racked up his seventh All-American award of the season as he was named to The Sporting News' All-America second team. So far this season, Leman also has been named to All-America teams by the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America, CBS Sportsline, Scout.com and Rivals.com.

Leman, who is Illinois' leader both on and off the field as a two-year team captain and All-American, was the tackles leader for the defense for the second straight year. He ranked among the league's best in the category, finishing third after leading the Big Ten for 16 straight weeks. He averaged 10.3 tackles per game and double-digit stops for two years. He made a huge impact in Illinois' win over No. 1 Ohio State where he posted 12 tackles and 2.5 for loss.

Although such press releases often dismiss the importance of the athlete as a student, please know J's accomplishments in the classroom, which included finishing his undergraduate degree in Speech Communications in three years, is what really got my attention.  As you can imagine, my own knowledge of American football is still somewhat limited, but it goes without saying that the importance of Illinois receiving unprecedented media coverage in December can only be positive for the academic side of the house. 

Other accolades continue to be bestowed on our students, and I encourage you to visit our newly redesigned web site often to read about our faculty and students on a regular basis.

Re-Imagining the Education Building

Some of you may have already read about the unique partnership we formed with the School of Architecture this semester.  Under the leadership of Professor Jeffrey Poss, 12 graduate students in Architecture worked with us in examining the current Education Building, and in envisioning what an expanded facility might look like.  A. Richard Williams, the original architect of the Building, now living in Tucson, Arizona, returned to campus to join Professor Poss, the students, the Director of the School of Architecture, David Chasco, and me in this exciting project.  I would like to extend my gratitude to Professors Liora Bresler (Curriculum and Instruction) and Tim Cain (Educational Organization and Leadership) in providing ongoing advise to the students. 

On November 30, 5 teams of students presented their final projects to an audience of faculty from Architecture and Education.  The students' understanding of the issues we deal with on a daily basis, and our interest in making the College an important resource for the campus and community at large, was amazing, and consequently 5 different designs and ideas were shared and critiqued.  A full report will be made available in the next few weeks which I hope to post on our website.  In the meantime, please take a look at some of the initial work and interaction which took place this fall, especially through an interest group developed on the Always Illinois web site . Always Illinois offers powerful global connectivity to maintain lifelong friendships, network, and stay current with happenings on campus, in colleges and departments, as well as in student and alumni organizations - all through one secure online source.

Youth Literature Festival Scheduled for October 4, 2008

Early in my tenure, I asked Violet Harris, a nationally known expert in the field of children's literature, to look at the creation of a major event for the College which will highlight the excitement of reading for youth in the greater Champaign/Urbana community.  By collaborating with a number of colleagues on campus and within a 40 miles radius of Champaign-Urbana, Violet and a group of dedicated volunteers are putting together an engaging and fascinating event for the public on October 4, 2008.  The committee, comprised of Mary (Mrs. B. Joseph) White, Susan (Mrs. Richard) Herman, and Carol (Mrs. Edwin) Scharlau, has contacted numerous authors and illustrators who are well known figures in youth literature.  We are now in the process of identifying sponsors for this important outreach activity of the College.  Please mark your calendars and spread the word to friends and family members who will be interested in attending the Youth Literature Festival.

Our Alumni and Friends - Helping Us Make a Difference

The sense of loyalty and the commitment of financial resources to the College and the University by alumni and friends is truly astonishing and humbling.  

Two groups of alumni, one a long-established group and one fairly new, have had a significant impact on the College. The Education Alumni Association strengthens educational and social bonds to the College of Education, and promotes the importance of education in our society, through publications and by planning, organizing, and scheduling activities or events which attract alumni, and to recognize distinguished alumni of the College. The Board of Visitors was created in preparation for the Brilliant Futures Campaign.  The Board promotes public awareness and support for the mission, goals, and services of the College of Education, and provides the Dean with perspective and input so to ensure the continued prominence and broadened financial base of the College.

We continue to find ways to raise the profile of the College through the accomplishments of many of you, and hope that you will share not just your financial resources with us, but your energy, enthusiasm and insights with us.  Please know that I encourage all faculty, staff and students to be part of the public face of the College.  They do in fact all join me in wishing you peace, happiness, prosperity, and good will in 2008.