COLLEGE OF EDUCATION NEWSLETTER
A message from the Dean:
The College of Education has had a busy summer wrapping up our list of projects and preparing for the return of our students. Students declaring a major in education, this Fall has seen an increase of nearly double the number of students – over last year at this time. Our advisors, staff and faculty are now in the process of opening additional sections to accommodate the growth in the COE.
August 23-24: Welcome Weekend
Additionally, we are launching our new Online Certification Program (OCP) this Fall for paraprofessionals and classroom aides in the four certification areas of elementary, early childhood, SPED and early childhood SPED This will be a program which seeks to meet the needs of non-traditional students who are already working in the education field and need a convenient way to finish their certification journey This new program has already surpassed our target enrollment by more than double This is an exciting new program which will meet the needs of this specific population and help many of our students who formerly attended our Regional Learning Centers to finish their coursework toward Missouri state certification. Finally, the new COE Skills Lab is complete and located in Field 346. This lab was funded through our Give Day initiative and our COE students are looking forward to using this lab space for continued training as pre-service teachers. It will house our COE library of resources, teaching manipulatives and will give our COE students a place to gather for group activities and presentations. Some of our teaching methods courses will have an opportunity to use this new space as a classroom as well. What an exciting time to be in the College of Education!
Dr. Tammy Cox
August 27: First day of Classes
September 1: Campus Closed
September 6: First Home Football Game
September 8-12: Love MBU Week
School of Counseling
Summer in the Schools School
School of Educational Leadership
of Teacher Education
This summer, the School of Counseling has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming fall semester One exciting addition to our courses includes new ChatBot Assignments, designed to give students enriching, interactive experiences with simulated “clients” who are navigating complex mental health concerns Faculty have also been busy growing professionally attending the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) summer school counselor conference and leading workshops at the annual LASE (formerly Lutheran Association for Special Education) Conference.
We are also thrilled to announce that our faculty team is expanding! Two new counselor educators, Dr. Angela Sastry and Dr. Kimberly Davis, are joining the SOC full-time this academic year. Both bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and passion for the field of counseling, and we are excited about the fresh perspectives and strengths they will add to our community
Finally, in the spirit of modeling balance and well-being, our faculty have also taken intentional time this summer for self-care enjoying family, friends, and loved ones. We return to the new academic year refreshed, recharged, and ready to continue walking alongside our students in their journeys.
It's been a productive summer in the SOEL. We kicked off the process of updating MEA courses with the new Canvas templatethis will continue into the school year We also welcomed a few new Educator Savings (ESP) partner districts and a few more in the pipeline
To support our ESP commitment, a calendar of events for the '25'26 school year has been planned in collaboration with the office of enrollment. We are also happy to share that our doctoral students continue to work throughout the summer resulted in a lot of progress on their key dissertation steps including PPD, IRB, and final defenses!
Recruitment always remains a top priority across all our programs, and we ' ve kept up the momentum this summer Most importantly, everyone enjoyed some well-deserved rest, relaxation, and summer fun. A big thank-you to my small but mighty SOEL team for their dedication and hard work!
The SOTE faculty have worked hard this summer to complete a number of projects while also getting some much needed rest and respite! Our lesson plan template and disposition tool were both revised Several online courses were designed through The Office of Online Learning to support the new launch of Spartan OCP (Online Certification Program) Master shells were also created for our field experiences in order to support a variety of changes in those courses as we transition away from Watermark and include GoReact. Additionally, a new SOTE student handbook was created this summer to ensure proactive and consistent communication among all of our students.
Enrollment in our new Spartan OCP program has exceeded our projections and many of our area paraprofessionals and working adults are taking advantage of an opportunity to get their Missouri certification in a way that meets their unique needs We are excited to watch this program continue to grow!
Our faculty also took the opportunity to travel, enjoyed special hobbies and projects, and spent quality time with friends and family. We are looking forward to an exciting fall semester!
Update on the COE Skills Lab:
The College of Education has been hard at work on the new COE Skills Lab. As many of you know, we raised money for the Skills Lab through Give Day last year.
We have gotten new tables, stools, technology, and many more things to prepare this space for the Fall semester! We cannot wait to have you all back to see this space!
MAY
7-Margaret Miller
23- Cassie Huckstep-Spangler
24- Patty Stockton
25- Eliana Steele
JUNE
27 – Tammy Cox
28- Kallie Dace
JULY
2- Eryka McMillan
29 – Jane Brown
29 – Kristy Roberts
AUGUST
3- Stacey Wade
8 – Kendra Ray
15- Amy Harrison
Congratulations to Dr. Linda Miller for being named Employee of the Month for MBU!
We are so proud of you!!
Dr. Tammy Cox, Dr. Andrea Cox, Dr. Dede McCullough, Dr. Kendra Ray, and Dr. BJ Weimer represented MBU at the Lutheran Schools In-Service Event on August 7 . th
Student Teacher Orientation
August 6 the student teachers who will be entering schools this Fall were hosted on campus for an orientation! th
Students got the chance to meet with their University Supervisors and Cooperating Teachers.
Meet Patty Stockton
Patty was raised in St. Clair, MO, and relocated to Imperial, MO, in 2015. She has been happily married to her husband Mark for 32 years; he serves as the Pastor of Discipleship & Counseling at First Baptist Church of Arnold, where they have been active members since 2010. They have two sons, Luke, who is 26 and resides in Bolivar, MO, and Noah who is 20 and currently lives at home.
Patty and her husband also share their home with our spoiled 15 year old Maine Coon mix cat, Toby. Patty will be serving as the new OCP Assistant for the COE!
Our
