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From Dean Kalantzis
Spring 2007
I find it difficult to believe that we are less than two months from the end of the academic year. As the University takes one last, short breath during this spring break, I wanted to take just a moment to share some thoughts about the College and to tell you a little about some exciting plans for the future.
As you may have heard, the University of Illinois will formally launch a new fund-raising campaign on June first. With a goal of well over $1.5 billion, this is the most ambitious financial undertaking in the institution’s history. While the University Foundation and administration are still working on the details, it appears that a central theme of this campaign will revolve around the question, “What happens when you give someone a chance?” At first glance, this seems to be an overly simple statement for such a major undertaking. But, when I think about this in relation to our own College of Education, I quickly begin to see where this can lead.
Here in the College, despite our enormously diverse backgrounds and varied interests, it has become apparent to me in just my eight months here that we all share a common vision and a unifying goal – one that matches perfectly with this theme of giving opportunities. While we might all express it differently, at the end of the day, our faculty, students and staff really share this simple belief: Everyone should have the chance to learn. This is our own ambitious undertaking and while it arrives in six easy words, please make no mistake, it is a powerful statement.
Everyone should have the chance to learn. There is no ambiguity here, no conditions, no exceptions. Young, old, man, woman, child, adult – everyone is included. For over 100 years, words and ideas in this College have led to groundbreaking research and startling innovations in practice to benefit everyone. From the advent of modern special education to fundamental changes in the way we understand reading – this College again and again has demonstrated the power of learning and the impact of new ideas.
Today, with the wonders of our modern technology, we all have the ability to share our ideas and our beliefs with a speed and a span unimaginable even a decade ago. This gives us enormous opportunities to explore new means of teaching and to create new models of educational access and equity. It gives us all a voice, and changes the dynamic between teacher and student. This is an exciting time to be in education. However, these same chances to advance learning come with new responsibilities.
Just as we can spread wonderful new ideas with the touch of a key – we can also unleash unintentional offense and insult with the same ease. Web pages, YouTube, Facebook – these are just a few of the avenues we have for distribution of debate and thought as well as showcasing our values and identity. It is thus critical for us to remember that these new methods and technologies put our ideas and our character instantly into the public domain – whether that is our plan or not. A published web page is a public one – Google has seen to that. Facebook isn’t limited to friends alone. The words, sounds and images we choose carry a potential for impact, both positive and negative, that is at times almost frightening. As we move forward together, exploring how we can use the technologies of our world to enhance learning and teaching, I ask that you also keep in mind their equal potential to do damage.
We should never shy away from informed, respectful debate. We shouldn’t back down from a discussion because someone doesn’t agree with us. This University, this College, these are the places where argument and debate and discussion should shine and where they should inspire. It is a tremendous freedom we are offered as members of this community and we should exercise it at every opportunity. I simply ask that we all remember that it is easy to use language and words to insult. It is a far more impressive thing to use them to persuade and to effect lasting change. And, for a century, it has been the hallmark of the College to advance ideas that will give everyone the chance to learn.
A core value of this institution is one of respect for diversity of ideas and identities combined with the responsibility to provide ready access to the tools of learning for everyone. We rely on the vast range of perspectives of the individuals - whether students, faculty, staff or community friends - that come into this College to provide the fuel for new discussions and the raw materials that lead us into new avenues of research and exploration. Just as the College is a place where everyone will have a chance to learn - it must always be the place where everyone has the chance to teach.
Welcome back from Spring Break and best wishes to you as we head into the final weeks of the academic year. It has been an exciting year for me, albeit one with quite a learning curve. Thanks to all of you for welcoming me into the College and for helping me understand our history and our imagining our bright future.
Around the College
If, as you continue reading, you notice something we’ve missed, please let us know and we’ll make a correction or we’ll include it in next month’s note. You can send this information directly to Chris Harris.
I. Some Meetings and Events of Note
II. Faculty, Staff and Student Awards and Achievements
III. New Faculty and Staff
IV. Faculty and Staff Retirements
I. Some Meetings and Events of Note
While I have found my schedule to be unendingly hectic since my arrival, it is abundantly clear that everyone on our campus, in our university, across the state and around the country, is truly and closely interested in what the College of Education at the University of Illinois is going to do next. I have included a short list of some key visits and meetings I've had the opportunity to attend since the beginning of this semester.
Upcoming Visit by President White to Management Team Meeting - Tuesday, April 3
Every time we meet with senior administration at any level in the University, we invite them to learn more about the College and our ideas for the future. I take it as a good sign that, so far, without fail, they take us up on that offer. President White will be here in the College on the morning of April 3 to learn more about how the College is going to be an integral part of his vision of the University of Illinois in the 21st century. TOur presentation to him will be available on the web following the meeting.
Progress Against the Strategic Plan
For the past 18 months, you have all been asked to plan, to estimate, to revise and to envision the College of the future. I thank you for your diligence, your effort and your patience. Your hard work is already paying dividends and, is another milestone marking the progress and success we'll see grow from the intiatives and goals we have established for ourselves. Just as a reminder, you can read the current, working version of the plan along with summaries of our new intiatives on the web site here.
Our plan has been met with enthusiastic support from Provost Katehi and the campus administration. As well as being held up as a model for others to follow, even more importantly, we have already seen firm commitment of new resources from the Offices of the Provost and Chancellor to launch several key projects. In fact, between the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost, the College has been promised nearly $2 million in new support towards our strategic initiatives over the next three years. A few of the projects and activities that are already underway include:
- The hiring of Dr. Julia Johnson Connor as the first Director of the Center for the Study of Education in Small Urban Communities. Dr. Connor will start in the College on April 9.
- The hiring of a Director of Operations for the Bureau of Educational Research. Increasing our support for and capacity to attract new research funding was a critical priority of every component of our plans. This position is being finalized right now and the new Director should be announced very shortly.
- Provost Katehi has "contracted" with the Forum on the Future of Public Education to draft an institutional response to the fall release of Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling's scathing report on the current state and the suggested future of higher education (available from the US Department of Education here as PDF file). Provost Katehi believes this report merits a public, national response and she feels that this charge should fall to the Urbana-Champaign campus and that our faculty are the best-suited to craft it.
- The School of Architecture has created a special graduate design studio course for the fall to deliver several new possible configurations for a renovated and expanded Education Building. Led by Professor Jeff Poss and by Richard Williams (the original architect for our building), this project will lay the groundwork for moving forward in breaking ground on a new facility. The Office of the Provost is providing the support to make this special course, and Professor Williams' participation, possible.
Again, these are just a few the new investments in our future that we have seen as a result of our careful planning. These are not happy accidents. The campus administration has made it clear that they believe the goals we have set out are aligned with those of the University and that the efforts and initiatives we propose can be achieved and will have real and lasting impact on the world.
The Global Campus Initiative:
Meetings continue with President White and Vice President Chet Gardner
The Global Campus/Partnership proposed by President White has been approved by the Faculty Senate and is expected to receive the support of the Board of Trustees. President White has made it a priority under his watch at Illinois and we in the College have continued to meet with him, Vice President Gardner and the rest of his team.
Members of the College, from Nick Burbules to Vanna Pianfetti to representatives of our online degree programs have been working tirelessly to ensure that the College is ready to join the Global Campus Partnership when it launches and that our voice is heard as the framework for this ambitious project is still being shaped. The College Committee on Online Education has been formed precisely to ensure that our participation in the Partnership is of benefit to both the University and to our own students and faculty. E-learning represents an enormous opportunity for the University of Illinois to redefine public higher education in both Illinois and the nation. We have a crucial role to play in that transition and I remain confident that when this initiative hits its stride, it will most certainly have our unique fingerprint of excellence upon it.
January 23 – Chancellor Herman Visit to Management Team Meeting
Much like the visit from Provost Katehi in the fall, Chancellor Herman visited the College and joined one of the Management Team meetings to learn more about our plans for the future and our progress against our goals already. It was clear from our discussions that Chancellor Herman is placing a high priority on establishing the Urbana-Champaign campus as a good community partner and on conducting research programs that have direct, measurable benefits to the citizens of Illinois. Our initiatives in the small urban community education and STEM teaching and learning were of particular interest to him. Once again, I believe we have been able to clearly establish that the College can, and must play, a critical role in the newly forming visions of the University of Illinois of the future. The presentation the Management Team made to the Chancellor can be viewed here...
February 10 - Phi Delta Kappa Forum: Poverty and the Effect on Children and Community
This day-long community forum, sponsored by our chapter of Phi Delta Kappa featured Dr. Nancy K. Cauthen, Deputy Director, National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, as a keynote speaker, along with Maneesha Date, Policy Analyst, Voices for Illinois Children and Dr. Jane Quinlan, Asst. Regional Superintendent of Schools here in Illinois. Organized and coordinated by Anne Robertson (our Director of the Office of School-Unversity Research Relations), this event was another clear example of the community connection we have here in the College. An audience of more than 130 spent their Saturday learning about how we can all use education to empower our communities.
February 13 - 14 - Dean Kalantzis Discovers Winter in Central Illinois
Throughout the season, I was assured that it would in fact, get cold and that it does snow here in Urbana-Champaign. On several occasions, I pointed out that I had seen little proof of that. Following the deepest snowfall I've ever seen - and witnessing the closing of this campus for the first time in 30 years, I stand publicly corrected. I sincerely wish to thank all of you for your efforts to maintain a normal, working schedule in the aftermath of the storm.
February 15 - 16 – O’Leary Chicago Symposium
Following the success of the first O'Leary Symposium in Chicago in 2006, this second annual event was met with a similar reception. The 2006-07 O'Leary Chair in Educational Finance, Dr. Deborah Verstegen, reprised her fall lecture on measuring adequacy of public funding and was joined by a group of other expert speakers in the same area. The event drew an audience comprised of researchers from peer institutions, Illinois administrators and faculty and students from across the University. For details about how to obtain copies of the papers presented, please contact the O'Leary Symposium Coordinator, Dr. Kern Alexander in the Department of Educational Organization and Leadership.
February 22 - 26 - American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)
I had the opportunity to attend my first AACTE national conference in New York. And, as with every educational organization of significance in the United States, I found colleagues in the College playing key roles. Chris Roegge, Director of the Center for Teacher Education, and Renee Clift, Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, both made certain that I had every opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with the leaders of those institutions in this country who will be responsible for determining the future course of teacher preparation. This is, as we all realize, a critical question, both on the national level and here in the our own institution. And we are being watched. Our peers are looking closely to see how we proceed. This is another clear case where we have the opportunity to lead the way in the field.
February 27 - 28 - Illinois New Teacher Collaborative (INTC) Conference
When it comes to discussion of leading the way in teacher retention programs the INTC must be part of the conversation. This statewide collaborative project supported by State Farm was originally conceived by Renee Clift and her team, and coordinated by them. This annual working conference brings together all of the INTC stakeholders to discuss new services for beginning teachers and to chart the next steps for expanding the program. Materials and information from this conference and previous ones are available here on the INTC website.
II. Faculty, Staff and Student Awards and Achievements
Liora Bresler, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, received the Distinguished International Leadership in Art Education Award by the United States Society for Education Through Art. This award is presented annually to honor one American and one international art educator who have made an outstanding and internationally recognized contribution to art education through exceptional records of achievement in scholarly writing, research, professional service, or community service.
Nicholas Burbules, Professor, Educational Policy Studies, has been formally elected as the 2008 President of the UIUC Faculty Senate. Professor Burbules has been an active and effective member of the Senate and clearly his work has been recognized by our colleagues. This is truly a significant honor for him and congratulations are certainly in order.
Mark Dressman, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, and Sarah McCarthey, Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, have been named as co-editors of the journal, Language Arts, published by the National Council of Teachers of English.
Dorothy Espelage, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, has been selected as the featured faculty speaker for the August 2007 Freshman Convocation ceremony on campus. She will welcome nearly 7000 new students to the University of Illinois experience. Dr. Espelage was selected by the campus for this honor.
Walter Feinberg, Professor, Educational Policy Studies, has co-founded the Institute of Philosophy of Education in the Fudan University School of Philosophy. Fudan University, founded in 1905, is one of the top institutions of higher education in China. It also has the distinction of being one of the first Chinese universities to enroll foreign students in the 1950's. It boasts the second largest foreign enrollment in the China today.
Janet Gaffney, Assoicate Professor, Special Education, has been chosen to receive the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching. That this award is selected by faculty peers on the campus is a clear indication of the respect Dr. Gaffney has earned from our colleagues across the campus.
Susan Fowler, Professor, Special Education, has been elected as the President of the Council for Exceptional Children. Her three-year term began in January.
Evangelia Zaimi March, doctoral student, Special Education, received the University of Illinois International Graduate Achievement Award - one of just five prestigious international awards offered each year by the campus.
Helen Neville, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, has been named as Co-Chair of the Chancellor's Committee on Diversity for the Urbana-Champaign campus. College representation on key campus and university governance and advisory bodies is another key to furthering collaborative relations across the campus and to raising our own profile among our peers.
The Office of Budget and Finance debuted a new, interactive training program for the College business, human resource and finance management team at a special March meeting. The training session brought teams of staff together to develop greater mastery in using the Business Objects Database utility developed here in the College to allow better, faster and more effective access to the vast amounts of data handled by this institution.
Chris Span, Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies, was highlighted in the Urbana-Champaign campus web feature "5 Questions With..." You can still read this interview here...
Manuel (Manny) Garcia, hired as new Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Affairs
Sue Lewis, appointed Special Assistant to the Dean
Raymond Price, appointed Interim Head for Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Todd Spinner, hired in Student Academic Affairs as the new Pre-Teacher Education Advisor
IV. Faculty and Staff Retirements
This section is one that is both difficult and joyful to share. The retirement of a faculty or staff member is always a blow to the institution - the loss of expertise, personality and experience diminishes the College. At the same time, it is a wonderful honor to be the home, the place where these individuals chose to end their careers. Three of our family have officially retired since the beginning of the year and they leave with our warmest wishes and best regards. Their respective departures are most certainly our loss.
Janice Chadsey, Professor, Special Education, retired December 31, 2006
Jane Loeb, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, retired January 2007.
Carolyn Horsman, Pre-Teacher Education Advisor, retired February 28, 2007.