ACADEMIC
Updates
NEW MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING In August 2020, TWU welcomed the first cohort in the new Master of Arts in Teaching program. This program builds on the strength of TWU’s education program and offers a path to initial licensure for students who already have a degree in a discipline outside of education. The TWU MAT is focused on high needs areas in the state of Tennessee and contains pathways for elementary, special education, and secondary education (science and math). The program also contains a job-embedded pathway for individuals who are already teaching and need to complete licensure requirements. With recent re-approval of the TWU Education Program from the Tennessee Board of Education and a 100% pass rate on the EdTPA assessment for licensure (one of only three programs in the state), the new MAT program is poised for success. MERNER PFEIFFER LEARNING COMMONS Renovations within the Merner Pfeiffer Library continue with funding through the Title III initiative. In addition to last year’s new learning commons on the first floor, loanable technology, and a renovated tutoring center, the fall of 2020 saw the renovation of the ground floor café space to create a teaching and learning center. This space includes a malleable classroom for testing new teaching strategies, office space for an instructional designer, a 3-D printer, and more. The renovation also includes an update to the café space for TWU students to enjoy.
14 | ARCHES
THE BULLDOG CONNECTION As part of the 10-year reaffirmation process for TWU through SACSCOC, our main accrediting body, TWU has developed and implemented a new program designed to connect the TWU experience to students’ future career goals. The Bulldog Connection, as the program has been dubbed, will ensure that four-year TWU students are engaging in a minimum number of high impact practices (first year experience, undergraduate research, diversity/global learning, service learning, internships, etc.). These experiences will be linked to tangible products entered into an e-portfolio to support student efforts to gain employment or enter graduate or professional school. Scan the QR code below to watch a video about the Bulldog Connection.
TIMELY ADDITION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH MAJOR With no knowledge that a global pandemic would soon occur, a new concentration in public health was introduced in the spring of 2020. This major builds on the already robust
