Reorganization of Educational Foundations
Posted in the The Daily August 18, 2011
Over a period of several decades, the Educational Foundations Department gradually became the home of increasingly disparate programs, specifically psychological and social foundations, career and technical/business and marketing education, and adult education. Often with little in common, faculty in the various areas increasingly met on their own, a circumstance that had the effect of seriously limiting what the department might accomplish as a whole. Consequently, after a year of examining all available options, the School of Education decided to disband the Educational Foundations Department and create three new and separate departments: Adult Education, Career and Technical Education, and Social and Psychological Foundations of Education. This reorganization took place, and will go forward, without spending any funds beyond what has been historically allocated to the original department. Additionally, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Betty Cappella has joined the Higher Education Administration Department (formerly the Student Personnel Administration Department) in the School of the Professions as of July 1, 2011.
Adult Education Department
The mission of the Adult Education Department is to promote and improve the understanding and practice of adult education by providing an educational program, a program of research and dissemination, and a variety of development and service initiatives.
Adult Education provides prospective graduate students with three curricular options, which can be completed entirely online or in the classroom: a 30-credit-hour master of science (M.S.) degree, a 12-credit adult education graduate certificate, and a 12-credit human resource development graduate certificate. The master of science (M.S.) in adult education prepares professionals for careers in adult education and human resource development. There are approximately 130 students enrolled in the program. The degree program combines a sound theoretical base with practical experiences, including an internship. The focused adult education graduate certificate program is ideal for adult educators who want to complement their areas of expertise with a core knowledge of adult education. Students learn theory, methods, and evaluation approaches. Credits can be applied toward the M.S. in adult education. The competitive human resource development graduate certificate program is designed to impart essential skills and competencies to professional human resource practitioners.
Faculty: Susan Birden (chair), Craig Campbell, Geraldine Hura, Patricia Medina
Secretarial support: Jill Sinatra
Office: Bacon Hall 306, ext. 4303
Web: www.buffalostate.edu/adulteducation
Career and Technical Education Department
The career and technical education program is designed to train experienced, skilled craftspeople to teach their trades to others. The business and marketing education component prepares students to become business educators.
Career and Technical Education provides prospective students with undergraduate and graduate curricular options including the bachelor of science, the master of science, or certificate programs in business and marketing education or career and technical education. The B.S. degree program in business and marketing education leads to initial certification to teach business and marketing subjects in New York State. Applicants for a teaching certificate must also have an equivalent of one year of occupation-related work experience, which they may obtain through the field experience courses as part of the business electives. The B.S. degree program in career and technical education prepares career and technical teachers for teaching positions in city high schools, area vocational schools (BOCES), technical institutes, correctional facilities, and community college technical programs. It provides theoretical and practical preparation in planning, instructing, and managing the learning environment for students who have or will have extensive work experience in agricultural education, business and marketing education, family and consumer sciences subject education, health careers education, technical education, or trade education. Students complete coursework to be recommended for initial certification in New York State in one of more than 83 certification titles. The M.S.Ed. degree program in business and marketing education is a 33-credit program that satisfies the requirements for eligibility to apply for permanent/professional certification to teach business and marketing in New York State. It is designed to develop, extend, and enhance the professional competencies of business and marketing education teachers. The postbaccalaureate teacher certification program in business and marketing education is designed for students who have earned a baccalaureate or master’s degree in business and marketing education or a business-related field from an accredited college or university, and intend to complete the coursework required for New York State certification to teach business and marketing in secondary schools. The M.S.Ed. degree program in career and technical education is a 30-credit program that extends and improves the professional competencies of CTE teachers. Candidates may become certified as coordinators of diversified cooperative work-study programs. The postbaccalaureate teacher certification program in career and technical education is designed for students who have earned a baccalaureate degree in an area other than CTE from an accredited college or university, and intend to complete the coursework required for New York State certification as a career and technical teacher. This program prepares career and technical teachers for teaching positions in high schools, vocational schools, technical institutes, correctional facilities, and community colleges. It provides theoretical and practical preparation in planning, instructing, and managing the learning environment for students who have or will have extensive work experience in a specific trade. This program is offered during the evening at Buffalo State. Some courses are offered via interactive distance learning at off-campus BOCES sites. The Career and Technical Education Department currently supports 170 undergraduate majors and 115 graduate students.
Faculty: N. John Popovich (chair), Keith Schmidli
Secretarial support: Jill Sinatra
Office: Bacon Hall 316, ext. 4319
Web: www.buffalostate.edu/cte
Social and Psychological Foundations of Education Department
Social and Psychological Foundations of Education is a nondegree, service-focused department committed to the study of teaching and learning through insights gathered from a number of disciplines. It will play a key role in two significant curricular efforts currently under way: a multidisciplinary master’s degree in urban education, and an undergraduate minor in urban education. Faculty members come from diverse academic backgrounds and are committed to high-quality instruction and scholarship that examines the role of education in bringing about progress and democratic participation in our society. Courses are guided by critical analysis of the formal educational endeavor as a contribution to social and political action.
Faculty: Paul Theobald (chair), Reva Fish, Albert Grande, P. Rudy Mattai, Ann Ramosz, Myrtle Welch
Secretarial support: Allison Winkowski
Office: Bacon Hall 308, ext. 4304
Web: under development
YMCA-Buffalo State Technology Collaboration
The Buffalo State College School of Education, in collaboration with the Ellicott-Masten Branch YMCA, is proud to launch a community technology literacy initiative for members of the YMCA William Street branch. This program, designed to assist in bridging the technological gap found between seniors and the youth to whom they are guardians, establishes resources and curriculum intended to connect area community members with equipment and training that will help them become familiar with commonly used electronics.
Thanks to support from SUNY Administration, the Buffalo State College School of Education was able to purchase new computer workstations and other office and classroom equipment, which was installed in the renovated Arthur L. Hunter Media Discovery Center. Along with YMCA representatives, Buffalo State students, staff, and faculty volunteers will provide instruction to the YMCA senior population regarding effective and practical use of computer hardware and software, printers, scanners, digital still and video cameras, and more.
Above left:The Arthur L. Hunter Media Discovery Center. Above right: Juanita Hunter (wife to the late Arthur Hunter, Andre Scott, YMCA Board of Managers; Matt Hilton, YMCA Executive VP; Ronald Rochon, School of Education Dean. Above center: project coordinators--Andre Scott, Tamara Horstman-Riphahn, Ronald Rochon, Matt Hilton.
The School of Education is excited about the potential for the program and the opportunity for current and future community-campus collaborative engagement! View more pictures from the June 2010 launch HERE.
Change in Education Leadership
From the Interim Provost posted in The Bulletin May 20, 2010
After careful deliberation and discussion, people have been identified to fill leadership positions for teacher education at Buffalo State. Paul Theobald, currently interim graduate dean, will be appointed interim dean of the School of Education. He will start July 2 and will be charged with providing leadership for the School of Education. Kathy Wood, director of CEURE, will be appointed interim associate dean of the School of Education. She will assume her new role on June 1 to help the transition. Neither Theobald nor Wood will have leadership responsibilities connected to the Teacher Education Unit.
John Siskar, associate professor of art education, will be appointed interim associate vice president for teacher education. He will start July 6 and will be charged with providing leadership for unitwide activities, including TEU, TEC, NCATE, teacher certification, and CEURE. Siskar will report to the provost’s office through the associate provost. He will also be asked to study our organizational structures to make recommendations regarding permanent structures for teacher education as Buffalo State moves into this next phase. Mary Todd, currently assessment coordinator, will be appointed NCATE coordinator.
A search for a new dean will not begin until permanent organizational structures are determined.
National Teacher of the Year Keynote
Anthony Mullen, 2009 National Teacher of the Year, 2009 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, and a Special Education teacher at Greenwich High School (Greenwich, Connecticut) presented Recovering Lost Students this past February 3, 2010 in the Performing Arts Cener at Rockwell Hall. Click HERE for event flyer.
Mr. Mullen’s keynote connected the link between learning and emotional health, especially as these concepts relate to the highly vulnerable at-risk student population in schools. "Social and emotional aspects of learning are inextricably linked to academic success and decreasing the dropout rate, yet our students live in a world in which depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and family dysfunction often take a terrible toll on their emotional health. Teachers, often the only functional adult in the lives of distressed children, need to help students heal their pain so their learning can be truly far-reaching."
Listen to a podcast of the National Teacher of the Year keynote address at Buffalo State and view photos from this event.
Check out Anthony Mullen's weekly blog at Teacher Magazine: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_of_the_year/
