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ISSUE:
4 A Matter of Instruction
IN THIS
5 Refresh and Renew 6-7 Reset and Reform
8-13 Look Back and Leap Forward 14-15 Bragging Rights
15 Books
16-17 A Giant Leap Starts with One Step LAUNCH is a semiannual publication by the College of Education at Purdue University 100 N. University St., West Lafayette, Ind. 47907 • education@purdue.edu • (765) 494-2341 Editor/graphic designer: Tonya Agnew ©2019 Purdue University. All rights reserved. An equal access/equal opportunity university.
17 Rankings
18 Here to Recruit
19 Two “R”s Make it Right 20 Coming Up
WE HAVE SWAG education.purdue.edu/swag
On the cover: Shown are 137 of the 150 alumni we are showcasing in a special feature on our website. See pages 8-13 for a select preview and then see all of the spotlights on our website at education.purdue.edu/150alumni.
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FROM THE
DEAN ALUMNI, COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS,
The College of Education took a giant leap when we stepped out on our own from the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education in 1989. Since then, we have continued to have the honor of doing what Purdue has been doing for more than 100 years — preparing educators. We take our responsibility seriously — so seriously that we are investigating comprehensive reform of our undergraduate teacher preparation programs. Much of what we are doing now is outstanding, but we want to take it to the next level. This spring and summer, we’ll continue the tough work we started last fall with a deep dive into all aspects of our programs to find areas of opportunity. Thanks to the time and efforts of our faculty, staff and other stakeholders, we’ll develop an improvement plan with the intention of implementation in the fall of 2020. You can read more about our reform work on page 6.
edu/150alumni). See a selection of them starting on page 8. Learn about the giant leaps of teachers, administrators, counselors, instructional designers, professors, and other alumni and where they landed thanks to Purdue and the College of Education. There are so many incredible stories out there, and we know what we included in this magazine is just a tiny fraction of them. We’d love to hear from YOU. Send us a note and share where you are, what you’re doing and how Purdue helped get you there by emailing education@purdue.edu.
The Next Steps As we revel in our past achievements, we look forward to our future successes. We’re wellpositioned to continue the critical and meaningful work of training education and mental health professionals in all areas and at all levels.
Here’s to future giant leaps!
Celebrate Good Times While we’re celebrating our 30th anniversary, Purdue University is celebrating its sesquicentennial. As part of both celebrations, we’re featuring 150 of our incredible alumni on our website (education.purdue.
Nancy Marchand-Martella Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of Education
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A MATTER OF INSTRUCTION
Making an innovative impact in the college classroom
Finding new ways of capturing and motivating students is always a challenge, particularly with changes in technology and access to information. Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) is a partnership across the University, helping to invigorate the way courses are taught. The College of Education’s Evaluation and Learning Research Center (ELRC) has played a key role in the development and evaluation of this innovative project. “We were tasked with how we could support faculty with innovation in the classroom and provide them with the technology or with the knowledge they would need to be creative,” said Loran Carleton Parker, ELRC associate director.
Culture Change The project looked for ways to make the classroom more engaging, more hands-on — changing the culture of how university courses have traditionally been taught. Multiple partners came together to design and evaluate this program, including the Center for Instructional Excellence; Office of Information Technology; Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Effectiveness; and the Libraries and School of Information Studies. The project supports faculty in using student-
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by Cindy Gerlach
centered, evidence-based instructional approaches to make students more engaged both inside and outside the classroom. From making course content available online to providing problem sets for peers to work collaboratively, faculty are encouraged to rethink their roles, helping them serve as facilitators.
Is it effective? These same partners are now looking at measuring the program’s effectiveness and are examining faculty satisfaction and student performance. After implementing their transformed course, faculty report significantly more satisfaction with their teaching. And students have responded positively as well; they are in a more supportive environment, which means greater success in their coursework. The metrics thus far suggest that both student and faculty outcomes have been positive. Since 2011, 89% of all undergraduate students at Purdue have taken at least one IMPACT course. Faculty are changing their teaching methods, and rates of D, F and withdraws have all declined. The partnership has extended among multiple units at the University, Parker said. And the positive preliminary outcomes speak to its promise. “It’s a strong partnership, all focusing on how to support faculty in restructuring and reenergizing their courses,” she said. Request the dean to speak or appear: bit.ly/EduDean
by Lori Bowes
REFRESH AND RENEW
This fall, the PhD in Higher Education program will be resurrected by program director and associate professor, Christine Kiracofe. This revamped PhD program places a particular emphasis on preparing students for roles in leadership in and around their respective communities, while also allowing for a diverse array of disciplines, and an opportunity to explore various career paths within education. “The curriculum is designed to give students a broad understanding of post-secondary education systems and research methodologies,” says Kiracofe. “The program is also designed to be flexible, allowing students to specialize in the area of higher education in which they are most interested.”
Global Experience Students within the program will have the opportunity to participate in shorter, more focused study abroad trips as well as yearlong internships where they can build direct relationships with mentors and administrators within the college. In addition to its expansion of supplementary courses, this program provides students with a unique opportunity to garner written experience through
Blowing the dust off of the higher education PhD program
a research-driven dissertation. Upon graduation, students will have completed at least three peerreviewed articles in the field of higher education and gain valuable knowledge and skills pertaining to educational research.
Ready for Success Kiracofe’s efforts to re-establish this program come after roughly 15 years of the original PhD program’s dismantlement. Due to faculty retirement and related issues, the program became infeasible. Today’s new age of technology and a focus on academic diversity is what has convinced Kiracofe that this new initiative will prove to be a success. “Serving Purdue employees working in different colleges and divisions throughout the University helps create a bridge between the College of Education and the University at large,” she says. Students interested in this program can see more information and can directly contact Kiracofe via the College of Education website. The application deadline for the Fall 2019 cohort is May 30. education.purdue.edu/higher-ed-phd
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RESET AND REFORM
Investigating ways to improve undergraduate teacher preparation programs
by Brian Zink
When summer rolls around, it’s going to be heating up in the College of Education. A plan of work is shaping up for faculty, staff and administrators to begin the heavy lifting in the next phase of reforming the college’s curriculum, a process that started in October with a series of summits. Those summits, paired with focus groups and surveys, gathered input from college faculty and staff; current and former Purdue students; and superintendents, principals and teachers from around Indiana. Nancy Marchand-Martella, the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of the College of Education, said that information is the foundation for what will be the college’s most comprehensive curriculum reform in at least two decades. The effort, in essence, is a complex answer to a basic question posed by Marchand-Martella: “We are doing great things here and we have a platform for success, but can we be even better than we are now?”
Using Data to Make Decisions Throughout the summer, working groups will hone in on four reform areas: field and clinical experiences, meeting the needs of all learners, induction and mentoring, and teacher-education research. Marchand-Martella said there will be progress meetings on a regular basis leading to a planned roll out of the revamped programming in Fall 2020. “We’ve got these four areas of interest, and we’ve got a lot of evidence, but now we will get down to the nitty-gritty work,” said Kathryn Obenchain, the college’s associate dean for learning, engagement and global initiatives who is helping oversee the effort. “Our hope is that by the end of summer we’ve got a
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pretty concrete plan to share with faculty, and then we have to do the hard of work of making sure we can make it work at Purdue.”
More Clinical Experience Student feedback generally indicated a desire for earlier and longer field experiences. MarchandMartella said one change being considered would be to include a full year of student teaching without extending time to graduation. “Students tell us they don’t get to see the beginning of school in the fall because they usually studentteach in the spring,” said Janet Alsup, a professor of literacy and language education and head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “They never really see the teacher laying down procedures and getting the culture of the classroom working.”
Meeting Needs of All Learners Alsup, who is part of the work group for meeting the needs of all learners, said that while all students’ field experiences might not look the same, the desire is to introduce “some type of extended in-depth, immersive experience in that last year.” To meet the needs of all learners, Marchand-Martella has proposed that education students graduate from Purdue with a background in multiple content areas. For example, an elementary education student would also select another content area that could include English-language learners or special education. Alsup said as many as 5% of Indiana students are diagnosed with some type of learning disability, which can be a challenge for a general education teacher in a classroom setting. Request the dean to speak or appear: bit.ly/EduDean
Faculty and staff break off into focus groups at a Teacher Education Reform summit in late January.
“It’s hard, and some teachers struggle with that,” she said. “We’d like to have our students come out feeling more prepared and confident working in those kinds of settings to do the best job for everyone in their classroom.”
Ongoing Support for Graduates And, once Purdue graduates move into the classroom, it’s also important that the college is still there to mentor and support them. “We set up mentoring programs during their time at Purdue, but what we would like to do is carry the mentoring over so that they would still have a way online to ask questions or get support,” Marchand-Martella said. “We hope to set up a very careful mentoring program that will carry over into their first year of teaching and maybe beyond.” The final area in the reform effort is teacher education research. “No student in the College of Education, if you’re a teacher, takes a research class, and we feel this is an area of need,” she said. “You should be able to be a consumer of research and make data-based decisions. “Additionally, all curricular decision-making for the reform effort will be evidence based
and grounded in existing educational research. This research-based approach is consistent with Purdue’s identity as a research university.” Marchand-Martella said that past attempts at reform lost steam because faculty and staff were asked to work on those efforts in addition to all of their regular duties. Both the Office of the Provost and College of Education have put financial resources into the reform initiative so key personnel can be released from teaching responsibilities and other duties and to make other assistance available. “We have great leadership here and the right players,” she said. “I feel like the motivation is there, and we’re not going to kick the can down the road.” Once the new curriculum is in place and newly minted Purdue teachers take their places in classrooms, the expectation is that the reforms will make for more effective teachers and better outcomes for students. “My measuring stick is going to be that K-12 kids our students teach are extraordinarily served by our graduates,” Obenchain said. “If you really want to become the most well-rounded in terms of content preparation and how to teach, Purdue is where you get that preparation.”
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LOOK BACK AND LEAP FORWARD
As part of the celebration of Purdue University’s sesquiscentenial and the College of Education’s 30th anniversary, we collected updates from 150 alumni. Check out some of them here and then view the whole list at education.purdue.edu/150alumni. Ali Alshammari - PhD ‘18 Assistant Professor and Vice Dean of e-Learning and Distance Education | University Of Tabuk Tabuk, Saudi Arabia Advice for current and future students: “Keep in touch with your advisor to learn where to look for internships or research opportunities. Study really really hard, and don’t compare yourself with anyone in your class, you are different!”
Mary S. Bonhomme - PhD ‘00 University Professor | Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, Fla. “Working in Purdue’s CEE (Continuing Engineering Education) office, I developed an interest in distance/online learning. I used this interest to pursue a doctorate in Instructional Design. Through CEE, I was able to develop an extensive network of colleagues in the field of distance/ online learning that still exists today. That network has enabled me to grow professionally.”
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Annie Buckles - MSEd ‘04, BA ‘98 First Grade Teacher | Lafayette School Corporation Lafayette, Ind. Advice for current and future students: “Always remember to teach the whole child. Start from what they already know and grow them from there. Don’t get discouraged when the learning doesn’t happen on your timeline. You have the power to create the positive learning environment each child needs.“
Phil Downs - PhD ‘12 Public School Superintendent | MSD Southwest Allen Fort Wayne, Ind. Advice for current and future students: 1) You will be surprised how much you can use what you learn in your stats class. 2) Read lots. 3) Stay in contact with your cohort/classmates. 4) Pappy’s is never a bad option.
Heidi Fernandez - BA ‘99 Teacher and Department Head | International School of Amsterdam The Netherlands “Gerald Krockover was instrumental in my approach to education and the teaching of the sciences. I realized the power of engagement, authentic student-led inquiry, giving trust and respect to your students, and that students can and should have control over their own learning.” NOTE: Degrees displayed are Purdue University College of Education degrees only. Many of our alumni have degrees from other Purdue programs and/or other universities.
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Martin Fernandez - MSEd ‘02 English Teacher | Lafayette Jefferson High School Lafayette, Ind. “I knew when I became a teacher that I wanted to get my master’s. However, in the covered wagon days, there were no online courses, and I was teaching in a rural school away from most big cities. When I moved to Lafayette to teach, I knew right away that I wanted to complete my master’s at Purdue. Purdue began my first teaching renaissance. I wanted to make sure every class I took I was able to take back and use in my own classroom. The reading units I created in my classes were invaluable in that way.”
Amanda Guieb - BA ‘09 Teacher | Perry Township School District Indianapolis, Ind. “A favorite memory I have at Purdue is working with the Society of Women Engineers group to organize the Girl Scout Day on campus. I was able to combine my love for STEM and passion for working with kids at an internationally recognized university.”
Penny Britton Kolloff - PhD ‘83 Educator | Illinois State University Eau Claire, Wis. “Selecting Purdue for my doctoral study was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Purdue enabled me to study with one of the most preeminent scholars in the field of gifted education, John Feldhusen. John mentored his students so effectively that we entered our careers prepared to engage immediately in teaching, research and publication, and service, having experienced each under his guidance. This readied me for four decades of work in gifted education.”
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Trinette Lopez - BA ‘18 2nd Grade ESL General Education Teacher | Skokie School District 68 Skokie, Ill. “During my time at Purdue, I had so many opportunities to explore different aspects of education and put them into practice while being surrounded by great peers and faculty. From studying abroad to participating in extracurricular activities, I feel I was provided with a plethora of experiences to learn and grow. As a first-year teacher, I can identify certain things that I have knowledge on because of my exposure to them while at Purdue. This has made me feel more confident in my classroom and has allowed me to get to where I am now.”
Erick D. Pruitt - BA ‘98 Chief of Schools | Chicago Public Schools Chicago, Ill. “While attending Purdue, I was both a full-time student and actively serving in the Marine Corps, so my experiences were very unique. The activities and overall Spring Fest experience has always been an enjoyable memory. I believe the experience was so important that as a teacher, I began bringing middle school students to the annual event to give them an opportunity to better understand college life and what the Big Ten experience had to offer.”
Teresa Roche - BA ‘79, MS ‘81 , PhD ‘00 Chief Human Resources Officer | City of Fort Collins Fort Collins, Colo. “My academic preparation helped me learn to think and communicate well, to listen to diverse perspectives, collaborate well, to stay curious and to know my own voice. Equally valuable was all that Purdue allowed me to experience in the various organizations and living situations I had during my undergraduate years. My graduate programs deepened my knowledge and prepared me for the many life chapters I have had. I was very blessed to have remarkable people along the way who mentored me, beginning with Betty Nelson, Dean of Students Emerita, who is still a huge part of my life. I am forever grateful to the Purdue community.”
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Eloisa Rodriguez - PhD ‘11, MSEd ‘03 Superintendent | DelCampo Schools Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazan, Honduras “Being a Boilermaker is part of my DNA now. I continue to be attached to Purdue through all the many memories — starting with the rides on the Boilermaker Special at the COE gatherings. I remember being greeted as an international student and never feeling like an outlier. I loved the help I got at the writing center, OWL, the convenience of libraries and technology labs in every building, and the diversity of students and activities on campus. It all made me feel I was home.”
Jordan Shurr - PhD ‘12, MSEd ‘08, BA ‘02 Associate Professor of Special Education | Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada “I had the very best advisors who spent the time to help me sharpen my skills and thinking. I had never planned on being a professor; I knew very little about higher education when I started as a student. During a course in my undergraduate program, I remember being blown away by this new professor, Dr. Taber Doughty. She spoke a language of excitement, impact, and purpose. From then on I was hooked on teaching, on special education, and on pushing the boundaries of what we know.”
Jenny Smith - MSEd ‘18 School Counselor | Twin Lakes School Corporation Monticello, Ind. Advice for current and future students: “Make a priority out of self-care. Scheduling time to relax is crucial in enjoying every part of your educational and career journey without constant burnout. Slow down now and embrace every day of your college career because there will be a time when you look back and wish that you did. Boiler up!”
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Jeff Spanke - PhD ‘15 Assistant Professor of English | Ball State University Muncie, Ind. “There’s something pure about being able to tell my kid that for the better part of a year, in an era that’s now seemingly confined to sepia-toned aerial photos that chronicle ‘Back Then,’ I lived in an un-airconditioned shoebox the size of two twin beds and a mini-fridge. We had a state park-style cafeteria, a vast, grassy field for volleyball or mudfights, and tennis courts to sweat away the hot, August nights. Kids today, I’ll probably say, will never know the Wiley I did. The mashed potatoes and unknown odors and doors we propped open with slivers of bark. We all moved out, of course, and found apartments in the Levee, behind the Cactus, near the creepy bridge, down from the Old Red Barn, and right up in the river’s business. Later, there was always Jake’s.”
Amanda Whitlock - BA ‘92, current doctorate cohort Superintendent of Schools | Clinton Prairie School Corporation Frankfort, Ind. “The specialized training in reading instruction helped propel my career and allowed me to specialize throughout my early career. A favorite memory is the ‘behind the glass’ teaching and learning to perfect our skills in teaching. It was terrifying and rewarding! And my advice for students is to take every opportunity you have with your time on campus. You never know where that might lead you or your career!”
Lauri Vitale - BA ‘12 5th Grade Teacher | Klondike Elementary, Tippecanoe School Corporation West Lafayette, Ind. “I am truly appreciative of the connections I made during my time at Purdue, particularly with professors and in-service educators in the SLED (Science Learning through Engineering Design) program. At the time, it was all new information to me as an undergrad student, and I was excited to discover new ways to engage my future students.” See all 150 alumni spotlights online at: education.purdue.edu/150alumni
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BRAGGING RIGHTS
Faculty, staff and student awards and achievements
Adegoke Adetunji, a PhD student in social studies
Kharon Grimmet, clinical assistant professor
education, was elected to the 2019-20 Holmes Council for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
of special education, has been appointed to the Professional Standards and Practice Committee and is chair of the Knowledge and Skills Sub-Committee, both for the Council for Exceptional Children.
George Bodner, professor who held joint appointments in the College of Education and the College of Science, is now an emeritus professor after retiring at the end of 2018.
Christian Knoeller, professor of English education,
Amanda Case, assistant professor of counseling
Victoria Lowell, clinical associate professor of
psychology, received a $50,000 Spencer Grant for “Evaluating the Methods and Effectiveness of Community-based Organizations in Supporting Lower-income Students and Students of Color through College.”
learning design and technology (LDT), and doctoral student Tadd Farmer, received the Best Research Paper Award from the American Education Research Association for “Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Online Settings: A Systematic Review.”
Ayse Çiftçi, associate professor of counseling
Nielsen Pereira, assistant professor of
psychology, was selected for the American Psychological Association’s Leadership Institute for Women.
Jim Freeland, clinical assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents.
Marcia Gentry, professor of educational psychology and research methodology and director of the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute, was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to support high-achieving, lowincome students in GERI’s summer programs.
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was honored with the 2019 MidAmerica Award by the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature.
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educational psychology and research methodology, and doctoral students Juliana Tay and Ophélie Desmet, and alumnus Jarret Hodges, PhD received the 2019 Path Breaker Award from the American Educational Research Association for “The Effect of the 2008 Recession on Gifted Education Funding Across the State of Texas.” The interdisciplinary Purdue Autism Research Center (formerly Purdue Autism Cluster) was awarded a Purdue 2019 Focus Award. Mandy Rispoli, associate professor of special education, is co-director of the center, and Rose Mason, assistant professor of special education, is an affiliated faculty member.
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Jennifer Richardson, professor of learning design and technology, and Laura Bofferding, associate professor of mathematics education, have been named University Faculty Scholars.
Toni Kempler Rogat, assistant professor in educational psychology and research methodology, was named associate editor for the journal, Instructional Science.
Lisa Snodgrass, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies, was honored with the Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year Award from the Indiana Association of Career and Technical Education.
William Watson, associate professor of learning design and technology, won the 2019 University Professional and Continuing Education Association’s Outstanding Credit Program Award for the LDT master’s program.
Carol Werhan, clinical assistant professor of family and consumer sciences education, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association for Career and Technical Education and as vice president of the Family and Consumer Sciences Division.
Stephanie Zywicki, assistant professor of curriculum studies, was awarded a $50,000 Spencer Foundation Grant for “Connecting Identity and Place: Understanding Indigenous Graduate Student Experiences in STEM.” The Annual Graduate Student Education Research Symposium winners are: • Best Completed Poster: Catharine Lory • Best In-Progress Poster: Qian Li • Best Conceptual Poster: So Yeon Kim Honorable Mentions • Completed Poster: Erin Rondeau-Madrid • In-Progress Poster: Soo Won Shim • Conceptual Poster: Danni Wang
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BOOKS Millennial Teacher Identity Discourses: Balancing Self and Other, Second Edition By Janet Alsup, head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction - Routledge, 2019 13 Questions: Reframing Education’s Conversation: Science Edited by Lynn A. Bryan, professor of science education, and Kenneth Tobin - New York: Peter Lang, 2018 Critical Issues and Bold Visions for Science Education: The Road Ahead Edited by Lynn A. Bryan, professor of science education, and Kenneth Tobin - Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2019 Teaching the Content Areas to English Language Learners in Secondary Schools Edited by Kathryn M. Obenchain, associate dean for learning, engagement and global initiatives; Rachael Kenney, associate professor of mathematics education; Luciana C. de Oliveira; and Alandeom W. Oliveira - Springer, 2019 Teaching History and Social Studies to English Language Learners Edited by Kathryn M. Obenchain, associate dean for learning, engagement and global initiatives, and Luciana C. de Oliveira - Palgrave Macmillan, 2019 Play and Social Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder By Mandy Rispoli, associate professor of special education - Springer 2018 www.education.purdue.edu
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A GIANT LEAP STARTS WITH ONE STEP by Lori Bowes
Aaron Lai smiles along the side of the road as he starts his walk from West Lafayette to Bloomington. Aaron Lai, a junior in social studies education, made waves in the month of February in a bid to walk over 100 miles from Purdue University all the way to Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., for the final Purdue v. IU basketball game on Feb. 19. The motivation for this seemingly crazy feat? Lai attributes it to the inspiration he found in Tyler Trent, a 20-year-old Purdue student who passed away on Jan. 2 after battling osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Inspiring many through his optimistic outlook on life and outgoing personality, Tyler devoted much of his time to cheering on Purdue’s sports teams, most prominently, the Purdue football team. In honor of Tyler’s love for Purdue football and the legacy he has left, Lai sought to raise money for Tyler Trent’s Research Endowment, with the Walther Cancer Foundation matching every penny raised.
miles, he was only thinking about Tyler, and his strength when confronted with something so awful and trying of his will. “The last stretch of 10 miles was the hardest,” Lai says. “All the miles and hours caught up to my body and I wanted to quit very badly, but I got so many words of encouragement and I ran the last five miles in spite of the agony I was in.” He persevered, and made it to the game in time to receive congratulations and support from members of the community, including Tyler’s parents, Tony and Kelly Trent, who he had been in contact with leading up to the walk. “After a month of messaging and calling each other, I finally met the Trent parents and they were so lovable and without a doubt, good people,” Lai says.
Goal Surpassed
Along with Lai’s own interest in philanthropy through his fraternity, Delta Chi, and their contributions to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, his inspiration for the 100-mile walk stemmed from his own personal connection to cancer. His grandfather, Chai Dechang, died of
Lai’s initial goal was to hit $10,000, yet he had no idea he’d have raised more than double that amount for Tyler Trent’s Cancer Research Endowment by the time he made it to Bloomington that Tuesday night. When Lai reached his final 10
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Social studies education student walked from Purdue University to Indiana University to raise money for cancer research
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Optimism and Tenacity
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lung cancer two years ago. Lai says his grandfather’s optimism and bravery in the face of a life-threatening disease inspired him greatly — two traits Tyler certainly exhibited in the time he spent at Purdue. “Tyler Trent’s never-give-up attitude is my inspiration to work hard and keep fighting for the things I want to do,” Lai says, and shares a quote he finds particularly inspiring from Tyler:
“Though I am in hospice care and have to wake up every morning knowing that the day might be my last, I still have a choice to make: to make that day the best it can be...Yet isn’t that a choice we all have every day? After all, nobody knows the amount of days we have left. Some could say we are all in hospice to a certain degree. So why don’t we act like it?” Although he never met Tyler, Lai felt inspired by his positive outlook on life, despite the terminal disease he lived with. Lai carries Tyler’s optimism with him into other academic interests at Purdue and sees himself traveling, teaching and coaching in the future in an effort to always inspire others around him. Through the College of Education, Lai says he has learned the true value of teachers and understands the hard work and dedication to the profession. “The College of Education allows me to learn how to be the best teacher that I can be as well as what my future students need,” he says.
Ongoing Inspiration Now that the 100-mile walk is behind him, Lai hopes those who supported him and heard his story can adopt some of Tyler’s optimism and perseverance in their own lives, maintaining that “a single person with an idea can do a lot of good. Don’t believe that because you’re only one person that you cannot make a difference in your community.” If you’d like to support the Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment, visit giving.purdue.edu/tylerstrong.
2019 US NEWS
AND WORLD REPORT
RANKINGS
2019 BEST ONLINE PROGRAMS
TOP 10% U.S. News and World Report ranked our online
graduate education programs in the top10% in
the nation — with a ranking of #29 out of 311 programs. We are #1 in Indiana and
#3 among our neighboring states. See the complete list and methodology online at bit.ly/2019eduonline.
2019 BEST GRADUATE PROGRAMS
TOP 12% U.S. News and World Report ranked our graduate programs #45 out of 392 — putting the programs in the top 12% in the nation. See the complete list and methodology online at bit.ly/2019edugrad.
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HERE TO RECRUIT by Brian Zink
(Left to right) Stephen Smith, secondary education coordinator; Abigail Laufman, teacher education recruiter; Jacquelyn Thomas-Miller, PhD, Office of Advising and Recruiting director; and Floyd Craig, Office of Diversity Initiatives director, recruit undergraduate teacher education students for programs across campus. As the College of Education looks to its future, a key element of success is recruiting motivated students with a passion for teaching. To accomplish that, the college is combining new social media strategies with old-fashioned social skills.
Get Social One new strategy is using social media – Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat – to target prospective undergraduate students. That initiative, in part, has led to a 32 percent increase in the number of undergraduate applications compared to last year. “Prospective students are sent information so many different ways that this was a simple, yet effective, way to set ourselves apart,” said Abigail Laufman, the college’s teacher education recruiter. “Social media is a great tool for spreading information quickly and effectively, and I think it has truly been a game changer for us.” With the May 1 deadline approaching for admitted students to accept their Purdue offers, the job is now to turn that student interest into a commitment to attend – and that is where more traditional social activities come into play.
Visit Campus Prospective education majors all have been invited to attend an on-campus Become a Teacher Day. Laufman said initial interest in the event has been encouraging,
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and it’s all part of a strategy to introduce students to the College of Education and, most importantly, its people. Jacquelyn Thomas-Miller, director of the Office of Academic Advising and Recruiting, said it’s important to be accessible to students and their parents, as well as to stay involved in high schools, middle schools and the broader community. “We want people to know we are real,” she said. “When people see Purdue out there, and that we are supportive of teachers in the community, it has an impact.”
Make Friends Thomas-Miller also credits the college’s student ambassadors with providing prospective students and parents with real information about what it’s like to be an education student and a Boilermaker. She said students, particularly underrepresented minorities, need that personal contact when considering college and to know they will be supported once they are on campus. “When you think about recruiting, reaching underrepresented minorities and a diverse population, we have to go to where the people are,” she said. “We can’t stay up in this university and expect them to come to us. “And any student who walks through that door needs to know we will be there. This is a big university and students are going through a lot, so we need to be there for them.” Request the dean to speak or appear: bit.ly/EduDean
TWO “R”s MAKE IT RIGHT
by Cindy Gerlach
GERI’s high-quality research the catalyst behind center’s name change One extra “R” will help to better define the mission and goals of Purdue’s Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute (GERI), with the new addition of “research” to its title — implemented at the end of 2018. The institute has been providing opportunities for gifted and talented youth since 1977. The programs it sponsors — from Super Saturday during the academic year to its summer camps — help enrich students’ lives through their diverse offerings, helping develop students’ talents.
in psychology and education related to giftedness, creativity and talent development. Professional development offerings help educators of gifted and talented students and offers help with teacher licensing. And graduate programs help train future scholars and leaders. Adding “research” to the name makes that emphasis more clear and more complete. “We just wanted to be more accurate in our description of the program,” says Gentry.
Quest to Discover
Programs for Youth
But GERI is also a premier research institute, dedicated to the discovery, study and development of human potential, says Marcia Gentry, GERI director and professor of educational psychology and research methodology. Using only the word “resource” made the program sound as if were merely about materials, says Gentry. By adding research, the alumni who constitute the board agree that it better captures the institute’s holistic nature. Donors and alumni feel strongly that the extra R helps to establish the focus on research throughout the institute.
The youth programs remain at the forefront of GERI’s mission, says Gentry. Super Saturday, Super Summer and Summer Residential programs all help offer opportunities above and beyond a traditional classroom. And the program is committed to diversity and inclusion, says Gentry. Last year, students from nine countries and five Native American communities — including Lakota, Ojibwe and Navajo students — were served by the GERI programs, which furthers GERI’s mission to serve in the development of giftedness, creativity and talents of learners at all ages and backgrounds.
PhDs and Professional Development
For more visit education.purdue.edu/geri.
GERI encompasses a broad range of initiatives. The doctoral program focuses on high-quality research
Share your GIANT LEAP on social media! Use #TakeGiantLeaps #Purdue150 #PurdueEdu.
www.education.purdue.edu
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Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education 100 N. University Street West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098
COMING UP College of Education Day at Purdue Baseball
Sunday, May 5, 1 p.m., Alexander Field - FREE TICKETS! Alumni, educators and College of Education faculty, staff and students are invited to join us as Purdue takes on Michigan State. Dean Nancy MarchandMartella will throw out the first pitch, and we’ll present a special on-field award. Request your free tickets by emailing education@purdue.edu while supplies last! education.purdue.edu/news
GERI Super Summer
June 10-14 and June 17-21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Super Summer, hosted by GERI (Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute), is a week-long day camp for academically, creatively and artistically talented youth in kindergarten through fourth grade.
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Interdisciplinary courses are geared at least two grade levels above each student’s current school grade.
GERI Summer Residential Camp
June 10-14 and June 17-21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Every summer for over 40 years, GERI has engaged gifted, creative and talented students from across the country and around the world in residential camps designed to stimulate their imagination and expand their abilities. Students who have completed grades five through twelve live in campus residence halls, take challenging courses and participate in engaging recreational activities. Various weeks in July Find more details and register for all GERI camps online at education.purdue.edu/geri.
Request the dean to speak or appear: bit.ly/EduDean