Dear Colleagues,
As the 2016-2017 academic year comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to the Darden College of Education and the University. This past year has been filled with so many accomplishments throughout our extraordinary academic programs because of our talented faculty and staff.
You have worked tirelessly from teaching and supporting courses, conducting research, writing scholarly articles, presenting at conferences, mentoring students, to organizing events and promoting your programs. Across campus people have noticed a changing tide at the Darden College of Education thanks to each and every one of you. There are many notable accomplishments that we all should be incredibly proud of, including but not limited to:
* Faculty in the Communications Disorders and Special Education Department were awarded a $2 million dollar grant to support teachers for English Language Learners,
* Two SCHEV-approved academic programs. The new master's degree in Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies will begin in fall 2017 and will complement the Bachelor of Science in the same content major. And, the new stand-alone undergraduate degree in Sport Management will complement and help to serve as a pipeline for the master's degree in Sport Management,
* The creation of six new graduate-level certificates to continue to meet the needs of students interested in furthering their education and opening doors into degree-seeking programs,
* A phased building move from the grossly inadequate education building built in the 1960s,
* The creation and opening of the Career & Advising Resource Center (CARC), the only center of this nature on campus,
* The ratification of our new Strategic Plan, which identifies key goals and priorities for the College and will serve as a guide for us as we plan for the future,
* The opening of the new five-story 120,000-square-foot education building to students in January 2017, and
* More than a dozen community engagement activities to address the challenges and support the advancement of our local, regional, state and national communities. Events included the Fifth Annual STEM Day, bestselling author and journalist Paul Tough speech, hosting the Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) Graduate Student Conference, a presentation by Dr. Robert Slavin from the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, a visit from Delegate Jason Miyares of Virginia Beach's 82nd District with a group of students from the University's chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, the day-long 'Celebrating Black Excellence' event and the 8th Annual Little Feet Meet.
And our work continues throughout the summer. During June and July, our building and the campus will be bustling with prospective students and cohorts of professionals in our advanced-degree programs for a variety of events, including:
* The 2nd Annual ODU Blast (Building Leaders to Advance Science & Technology), which brings more than 160 rising 9th and 10th graders from across the Commonwealth to Old Dominion's campus for a three-day residential summer program.
* In partnership with CHKD, a day-long Summer Coaches Clinic where participants will learn about the benefits of strength training and nutrition, communication skills, concussion management techniques and motor-learning principles.
* The annual Summer Institute in Community College Leadership and Higher Education doctoral programs where cohorts of students reside on-campus for two weeks and engage in professional and social events.
* A two-day event, Open Spaces: The ODU Library Summer Institute, which brings together a dynamic group of education leaders, technology innovators, school librarians, and library students as learners, presenters and tinkerers.
* The 4th Annual Conference for Developing Educational Leaders, a day-long working conference for new and aspiring school leaders to hone their skills in leadership, assessment, team building, instructional coaching and engagement and the administrative role of school leaders.
* The Virginia Technology Engineering Education Association (VTEEA) Summer Conference where more than 120 teachers and students from across Virginia will engage in sessions on topics such as systems and controls, mechatronics, and surveying, just to name a few.
Holding an official building dedication is also on the horizon. This year's State of the College will be replaced by a campus-wide Building Dedication & Open House on Friday, Aug. 25. An electronic save the date will be coming to your mailbox shortly, followed by the official invitation later this summer.
Your passion and caliber of work is important to the Darden College of Education. I hope you enjoy the upcoming Commencement ceremonies and the summer months.
Warmest regards,
Dr. Jane S. Bray
Dean, Darden College of Education