The days leading up to our College of Education Convocation Ceremony are always exciting. You can feel the buzz in the air as caps and gowns are handed out, final exams are distributed, and the spring semester comes to a close. As Dean James D. Anderson stated in his convocation remarks, “Education is a calling. It calls to individuals who possess tremendous grit, curiosity, and passion. It requires a fearless searching for truth, and it requires action.”
Like you, our newly graduated students will make significant contributions to the field of education. We look forward to seeing how they change the world through their teaching, research, and service.
Each spring we recognize your valuable contributions when we host the Distinguished Alumni Awards, a yearly event that recognizes outstanding alumni. Meet this year’s awardees and read about how Illinois transformed their lives.
You can nominate deserving College of Education alumni for honors in 2019:
We enjoyed connecting with many of you at our reception at Ruth’s Chris Steak House during the 2018 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in New York City. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education.” Professor Bill Trent of the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership was selected to give the AERA Distinguished Lecture.
The University of Illinois fundraising campaign, With Illinois, is off to a great start. Read the stories of philanthropic impact we’re seeing across campus, and be sure to tell YOUR story of support to the College of Education by emailing Sal Nudo at snudo@illinois.edu. We’ll do a write-up and share your story online and on social media with the hashtag #withILLINOIS.
One of the goals of our campaign is to increase our investment in knowledge and experiences with innovative classroom technology. We’re excited to share our new, campus-supported initiative called Technology Innovations in Educational Research and Design (TIER-ED). This groundbreaking effort will offer the capacity to conduct innovative research on the effects of new technologies on educational contexts and learning.
Thank you for your support during the 2017-18 academic year. With you and With ILLINOIS, we will continue to lead and break new ground in educational settings throughout the world.
Yours in Orange and Blue,
Lisa Denson-Rives
Assistant Dean for Advancement
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