Hello from the College of Education!

We are excited to share this issue of the Statewide Standard with you. We’ve accomplished so much in the past year, and we are eager to provide you with updates related to some of our achievements. First, it is with tremendous pride that I thank our students, faculty, faculty associates, staff, alumni, and donors for their dedication and support. Our collective mission makes a difference for countless individuals, and we accomplish so much when we collaborate and consider what is possible together.

Overall, our student enrollment continues to remain strong across our programs, but we will always be considering innovative approaches to attract more students to specific areas with capacity to grow. We hosted the sixth annual Future Teacher Conference with 1,300 high school students in attendance who are considering a career in teaching. We are proud that many of the attendees choose to enroll in a teacher education program at Illinois State. We are extremely grateful to our many generous donors, as their gifts help us with recruitment and retention. With your support, we awarded over $908,000 in scholarships to 447 students.

At spring commencement, we graduated the first cohort of 55 students from the Paraprofessionals Unlocking Licensure in Special Education (PULSE) program. This online program prepares current paraprofessionals to become licensed special education teachers.

In June, the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations hosted the Women in School Leadership Conference that provided professional development for about 120 aspiring and current education leaders in Illinois.

My term of service to the college as its interim dean concluded as of June 30. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the entire college, which includes our wonderful laboratory schools. I have learned much along the way, and I have tremendous admiration and respect for every staff member, faculty member, and faculty associate who gives so much to enrich the lives of students every day. I encourage you to continue exploring this issue to learn more about our collective accomplishments during the past year.

It is my honor to introduce Dr. Bryan Zugelder as the new dean of the College of Education. Dr. Zugelder most recently served as associate dean for academic excellence, research, innovation, and policy at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He led JMU in the creation of the Lab School for Innovation and Career Exploration, helped secure $2.2 million in recurring legislative funding for a Grow Your Own program, and helped create multiple new graduate certificates and degree programs. The college is in great hands, and the long legacy of teacher and education leader preparation continues on under Dr. Zugelder’s leadership.

On behalf of the College of Education, we wish you the best in the year to come.

With Redbird pride,

Dr. Todd McLoda, interim dean