With 2022 nearly behind us, it's time to look back and remember many of the year's notable achievements and advances from the College of Education. Here's to our faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the Education at Illinois community and the amazing work being done! Now, enjoy this rundown of uplifting and exceptional impact:

College's New Degree Program Builds Strong Base for Mental Health Counseling 
“The American Psychological Association had been talking for many years about accrediting programs at the master’s level within the realm of psychological sciences,” said Lisa Kinderman, EPSY clinical assistant professor in Counseling Psychology. “We wanted to be poised to influence or be part of this new emerging identity within the profession, and we also saw an opportunity to create a program that is different than many of the other programs that are offered in the state.”

Education at Illinois Debuts Three New Online Graduate Certificates
The Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in the College of Education launched three new online Graduate Certificate (CERT) programs. Graduate Certificates are for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree but are not yet enrolled in a graduate degree program. Certificate credits can be stacked into a master’s program.

Illinois State Legislature Honors Dean James D. Anderson
Policymakers in Springfield, led by alumna Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago), recognized a giant within the field of education ahead of his retirement. James D. Anderson, dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was presented with a proclamation honoring his “invaluable contributions” to the state of Illinois and the discipline of education.

Helping Solve Illinois' Early Childhood Teacher Shortage
The College of Education is part of a statewide consortium offering new solutions for early childhood professionals to attain their bachelor’s degrees to address a shortage of early childhood educators. “This targets 8,000 working early childhood education professionals in the state with AAS or AA degrees in early childhood education, and creates a pathway to a bachelor’s degree for these adults working in the field,” said Nancy Latham, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs and Teacher Education.

Excellence, Equity, and Engagement
Chrystalla Mouza, who assumed her duties as dean of the College of Education on August 15, didn’t have an easy road to Champaign. But her lifelong passion for education would not be thwarted by the obstacles in her way. "Throughout my career, I have remained steadfast and passionate about expanding education opportunities to diverse groups and supporting a higher education system that promotes equity and social mobility," said Mouza.

Announcing the Inaugural Cohort of Public Engagement Faculty Fellows
Four assistant professors will collaboratively define values and indicators for public engagement during the 2022-23 academic year for the College of Education, moving forward. “The quality and quantity of the applications far exceeded our expectations,” said Emily Stone, director of public engagement.

Professor William Trent Wins 2022 Spencer Foundation Mentorship Award
“I cannot think of another deserving scholar who, for nearly four decades at the University of Illinois, worked so tirelessly to advance the work of graduate students and junior scholars in educational research. The profound influence of his role as mentor and researcher also comes in having helped to diversify faculty at major research institutions," said EPOL Department Head Yoon Pak.

Getting Ready to TEAACH
Illinois is the first state in the nation to require its public schools to teach a unit on Asian American history, thanks to the Teaching of Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act that was signed into law this past summer. And the College of Education is doing its part in generating online professional development modules and recommending resources for K-12 educators. EPOL Department Head Yoon Pak and other College scholars detail more about the initiative, in this story.

Helping Students Be Wise Consumers of Media
Twenty-one Illinois public school educators learned how to incorporate media literacy into their curricula this summer through an IMEDIA media literacy workshop on campus, hosted by faculty from the College of Education and College of Media at the Siebel Center for Design.

Teaming Up to Meet Global Challenges
I-Global is growing. And that’s good news for the world, as its future is in the hands of the young learners who participate in the program and work together on the challenges that our global society faces. I-Global was created to help middle schoolers from around the world connect with each other and learn what it means to live in a global society.