Dean Jane Bray sent the following message to the Darden College of Education faculty and staff community on January 16, 2018. - Ed.
Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I hope you had a chance to relax over the holiday break and spend time with family and friends. Winter Storm Grayson was an unusual disruption for many around campus and I hope you are settling into the new academic semester.
With another fall behind us, let me thank you for all the incredible work, dedication and commitment you have exhibited to the Darden College of Education. I am particularly proud of our remarkable faculty and the profound impact your teaching, research, service and scholarly activities have had in making Old Dominion University an institution of inspiring academic excellence.
We begin the spring semester during a pivotal time that reinforces our role as a predominant college within the university. Our strength continues to be our diversity and as such, our college deserves a name that reflects the breadth and depth of our academic program offerings. To that end, the re-naming of the college is an exciting initiative we will tackle into 2018.
I wish to thank and share my sincere appreciation for the work and efforts of our college-wide re-naming committee. Chaired by Dr. Ed Neukrug, the members of the committee included Dr. Felicia Commodore, Dr. Angela Eckhoff, Dr. Eddie Hill, Dr. Corrin Richels and Dr. Jill Stefaniak.
Our education building is a natural landmark on campus and a beacon in the community delivering high-tech amenities and collaborative spaces. As a result, we continue to host events that invite guests into our marvelous building.
On Wednesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 1, the Department of Counseling and Human Services is coordinating a school counseling workshop. Organized by Dr. Emily Goodman-Scott and in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education and affiliates, we are thrilled to offer several one-day trainings on the recognition of mental health disorders and behavioral distress. We received such an overwhelming response that each workshop reached capacity within days after registration opened and there is currently a wait list of nearly 75 people.
As a reminder, our 2nd Annual Faculty Authors Reception will take place on Thursday, February 8 from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on the 5th Floor. Should your schedule permit, please join us as we recognize the vibrant intellectual life occurring with the College. Later in February, we will honor the outstanding accomplishments of our alumni during the 2018 Darden Fellows Award Luncheon.
It is with great excitement that I share with you that Michael Ruffin has been selected as our Director of Innovative Technology. This position is designed to manage the operations of the Learning Resource Center and to lead innovative uses of technology for our faculty and students as well as in partnerships with our communities. Michael, who previously worked in Hampton Public Schools as a Curriculum Integration Technology Teacher, brings his experience of development and training for effective use of technology integration and innovation to this position along with many other skills. Please join me in welcoming Michael Ruffin to the Darden College of Education. He invites you to contact him at mruffin@odu.edu starting next week.
I would also like to share my sincere appreciation for the work of our search committee for their partnership in making this appointment an overwhelming success. Chaired by Dr. Gail Dickinson, the members of the committee included JP Asija, Dr. Helen Crompton, Dr. Sue Kimmel and Dwayne Smith, Assistant Director of classroom and learning space technologies from Information Technology Services.
The New Year is a reminder for accepting new challenges, learning new skills, reaching our potentialities and enjoying the flavors of success. May we make the best out of these opportunities and continue to forge our path in 2018.
Warmest regards,
Dr. Jane S. Bray
Dean, Darden College of Education