The College of Education recently honored 122 graduates and Master of Arts in Teaching candidates during its fourth annual Pinning Ceremony at the Reynolds Performing Arts Center. Those receiving pins were the December 2009 and May 2010 graduates.Several special awards were presented during the ceremony including a Posthumous Professor Emeritus with Distinction Award. The award was bestowed upon the late Cecil Garrison by Dr. Lance Grahn, UCA provost. Garrison, who worked at UCA for 32 years, was a coach and a professor in the Physical Education Department. He was the first chair of the Department of Educational Media and Library Science. Mara Cawein, faculty advisor to Kappa Delta Pi, presented Outstanding Mentor Teacher awards to Vicki Trammell and Lisa Goodnight, both from the Greenbrier School District. Megan Moore of Conway and Rebecca Johnson of Jonesboro received Outstanding Student Teacher awards. Dr. Kathleen Atkins, chair of the Department of Early Childhood and Special Education, presented Maegan Johnston of Bald Knob with the Outstanding Student Award from the College of Education.
Dr. Patty Phelps presented a workshop session at The Teaching Professor Conference held May 21-23 in Cambridge, MA. “Finding a Way to Joy in Teaching” was attended by 75 faculty from across the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Phelps is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and serves as Faculty Coordinator for the Instructional Development Center.
Internationally renowned scholar Dr. Ellen Goldring was the keynote speaker at this year’s UCA Leadership Institute Summer 2010 held June 11. Goldring is a professor of Education Policy and Leadership at Vanderbilt University. Her research addresses school leadership and the improvement of student learning. Goldring’s presentation, “Leadership for Learning: Assessing Behaviors that Matter Most,” will present research findings identifying those principal behaviors that are most likely to enhance school effectiveness and student learning. She is recognized as one of the top 50 scholars in the field of educational leadership. “Few local or state conferences, meetings, or professional development opportunities are able to bring in an internationally renowned scholar of Dr. Goldring’s caliber,” said Dr. Diana Pounder, dean of the College of Education. The annual Leadership Institute provides high quality speakers and professional development experiences to enhance the leadership capacity of Arkansas schools. About 150 school leaders attended the event. Learn more about the recent institute at the university’s YouTube page.