Greetings!

Our students were all smiles as they filed into Huff Hall for this year’s convocation ceremony, despite an overcast sky and intermittent rain. Every year I am honored to partake in this culmination of years of dedicated work and achievement, wishing our new graduates the best as they embark upon the next chapters of their lives. We granted over 570 degrees this year, including 360 handed out at this year’s convocation ceremony. Well done to all. Graduation celebrates not only the achievements of each of our stellar students but also shines a light on the collaborative efforts of all faculty, staff, administrators, parents, partners, friends and significant other dear ones who contributed to our scholarly community.

On behalf of the College of Education, I had the special pleasure of welcoming two of the four University of Illinois honorary degree recipients, Betty Chan Po-King and Arnold Mitchem . Dr. Chan Po-King is chairman of the board of directors of the Yew Chung Education Foundation and has been a pioneer in early childhood education in China as well as internationally, preparing children to be global citizens. Dr. Mitchem is president of Council for Opportunity in Education. He has been a voice for low-income, first-generation students and individuals with disabilities and a champion for improving access and opportunity in education. We applaud both honorary degree recipients and our College of Education graduates as they continue to make a mark on the future of education. We wish you the best of luck and hope you will stay in touch!

As we celebrate the achievements of our graduates, it is with much pride that I also note that this last year, despite all the challenges we have faced, the College met and exceeded all its performance goals, in research, students outcomes, publications, budget projections, public advocacy regarding education reform, media profile, gifts, community outreach, organizational change, updating and fine-tuning our polices and protocols, and contributions to a number of the campus-wide Stewarding Excellence projects. To keep our community informed, we established a Transitions Web site , where you can learn the latest about our various projects in progress: Re-envisioning the Preparation of Teachers , Enhancing the Quality of our graduate programs, and other college-wide changes and initiatives. One of the most fruitful outcomes of our collaborative efforts was the syngery exercise, culminating in the consolidation of three departments into the new Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership. The new department will bring together the strengths of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, developing new organizational alignments that will significantly enhance the quality of core areas.

As you will read in the updates below, our faculty and students continue to break new ground with research and scholarship, to garner awards, to present at conferences, and to reach out to the community. I am especially uplifted by the collaboration permeating our work, whether partnering on interdisciplinary grants, or organizing an interdepartmental conference - as a group of graduate students took upon themselves this semester.

 

Our Scholars in the News

Relationship building among co-workers key driver of workplace socialization

A study by Russell Korte, published in recent issues of the journals, Human Resource Development International and Human Resource Development Quarterly, discovered that co-workers exert far more influence on a new hire’s socialization in an organization than previously thought: About 65 percent of what employees learn comes from their co-workers, while only 15 percent came from interactions with managers.
 

For more news from the College of Education, visit our Web site.

Events

Graduate Students Build Community Through Inaugural Student Conference

Organized by graduate students representing each of the college's six departmental units, and supported by a generous donation from University of Illinois alumna, Dr. K. Patricia Cross, the Inaugural Graduate Student Conference was attended by over 170 graduate students, faculty, and alumni. Through a full day of graduate student paper presentations, symposia, and a morning poster session, the research and scholarship of approximately 62 graduate students was highlighted.

Brain Awareness Day

At the University of Illinois Neuroscience Program's 10th annual Brain Awareness Day, Professor Barbara Hug and her research staff from "Project NEURON" developed and presented "Do you see what I see?", a series of experiments, activities, and games to demonstrate neuroscience concepts about visual perception enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Summer Educational Programs

Thank you to all those who are providing educational programs over the summer, including: the Chancellor’s Academy, the Entrepreneurial Leadership in STEM Teaching and Learning (EnLIST) Summer Institute, the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative Beginning Teacher Conference, and the O’Leary P-20 Institute on New Tools for 21st Century Leadership, and the Educational Theory Summer Institute. It is wonderful to see so many students, teachers and faculty choosing to work together during this very hot summer with such focus and enthusiasm.

For the most up-to-date schedule of college events, visit our Web site.

Awards and Achievements

One of the hallmarks of the College of Education is the overall quality of our faculty, staff, and students. Many of our faculty and students have been recognized for their contributions to their specific field, within the college, across campus, and around the world.

View a listing of our recent college award winners and their achievements

Research Highlights

Our research profile continues to expand, including a recent grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health. The $1.4M grant aims to study risk and protective factors associated with online racial discrimination. Assistant Professor Brendesha Tynes seeks to examine the cultural resources adolescents have that may buffer against the negative psychological, behavioral and academic outcomes typically associated with these experiences.

Visit our Web site to view some of our most recent research awards.

Stay in Touch with Us

Please stay in touch with the College of Education by visiting our Web site to learn about our latest achievements. We are also on Facebook and Twitter, so we invite you join to us and share our accomplishments and breakthroughs as they happen. And, if you are an alumni, please send us an email about your accomplishments.

Wishing you all a safe and happy summer!

All the best,
Mary Kalantzis