Education College Moving Toward Reality

In a move to expand leadership in teacher preparation on campus, President Milton A. Gordon will formally designate the School of Education as the College of Education, effective July 1. The Academic Senate voted April 22 to recommend to the president the formation of the College of Education.

“I am consulting with members of the campus community for recommendations of colleagues to serve as acting dean of what will become our eighth college,” said Gordon. “This is another milestone for Cal State Fullerton. Even in tough budgetary times, we must not let that stop us from positioning ourselves to excel.”

Plans call for the acting dean to serve during the formation years of the college, after which a national search will be conducted for the permanent dean.

The College of Education will align Fullerton’s organizational structure, management and leadership with sister CSU campuses and create a streamlined institutional organization that can more effectively respond to increasing demands on teacher education, noted Roberta Rikli, dean of the College of Human Development and Community Service, which houses the school.

Currently, the School of Education includes the departments of Educational Leadership, Elementary and Bilingual Education, Reading, Secondary Education and Special Education. A program in instructional design and technology and the joint doctoral program in educational administration and leadership, which welcomed its first students in January, are part of the current school.

“We believe that by establishing a separate and distinct college, our students will benefit from the enhanced status of a degree program within a College of Education. We also will be able to continue to attract high-caliber faculty to ensure that our future students receive a first-class education,” said Louise Adler, chair and professor of educational leadership.

The School of Education was formed in 1966-67. Prior to that, a division of education had been the parent administrative unit for the departments concerned with teacher preparation. In 1975, then-president L. Donald Shields, converted the school of education back to a division within the school of HDCS. Years later this division HDCS. Years later this division re-emerged as a school.

It is one of only 14 schools in the state (out of approximately 120) to have achieved national accreditation. “The school received a stellar accreditation review in 2000,” said Carmen Z. Dunlap, chair and professor of elementary and bilingual education.

In addition, the most recent survey conducted by the CSU comparing the quality of teacher preparation across the entire system placed Fullerton above the mean with ratings for most first-year teachers as well-prepared or adequate.

“We are one of the major engines driving teacher educa-tion in Orange County,” said L.Y. “Mickey” Hollis, acting associate dean of the School of Education. “We have one of the strongest programs in the state and our recent data indicates that not only are our students qualified, they generally exceed expectations.”