Welcome Friends, Students, and Colleagues –
Optimism abounds as the Class of 2022 arrives on campus. These bright, committed students will begin their academic careers with improved student services now centralized on the first floor of the Education building, with access to high-tech labs and classrooms and numerous opportunities for international studying abroad.
We are Growing——
In addition to welcoming a new freshmen class, the College increased its faculty ranks with nine new hires.
Rodney Hopson is joining the Department of Educational Psychology as a professor. Dr. Hopson is among the first seven professors hired within the President’s Distinguished Faculty Hiring Program, an initiative of the University of Illinois System. Read more about Hopson and these six other distinguished scholars who will be joining the university throughout its three campuses.
The specialized expertise of scholars Nathan Castillo, Cynthia D’Angelo, and Michael Tissenbaum will bolster our capacity to conduct research on the effects of new technologies on educational contexts and learning and augment the Technology Innovations in Educational Research and Design (TIER-ED) initiative.
We also welcome scholars Ge Jiang, Justin Kern, and Yan Xia, who will be teaching in the Quantitative Methodology Measurement and Evaluation (QUERIES) program in the Department of Educational Psychology. Rebecca Hinze-Pifer is joining the College as an assistant professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, and Idalia Nunez will join us in the Bilingual & ESL Endorsements program in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction. Discover more about our new hires.
We are also pleased to welcome Dr. Nancy Latham as the new executive director of the Council on Teacher Education (CoTE). Throughout her career, Dr. Latham has been committed to teaching and teacher education. We we are thrilled to bring her vision and collaborative leadership to CoTE.
We are Innovating——
We are thrilled to be in a partnership with Microsoft to create opportunities for students with autism and excited to provide a niche for the growing needs of diverse learners through our Diversity & Equity in Education program.
Campus approved Investment for Growth funding for the College’s Illinois Secondary Teacher Education and Computer Science (I-STECS) initiative, which will give educators the resources they need to develop and implement computer science education programs in secondary schools. This will prepare Illinois students to meet the state’s need for a workforce that is skilled in this field.
In 2019 the O’Leary Learning Center will open. This space will advance research and teaching in the College by providing sophisticated laboratory and meeting spaces for enhanced collaboration of interdisciplinary research projects, an improved online learning space, and enriched STEM instruction.
Thank you for your support of the College of Education at Illinois. Here’s to a productive academic year!
Yours in Orange and Blue,
James D. Anderson, Ed.M. ’69, Ph.D. ‘73
Dean and Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor of Education
