Be A Superhero!
Welcome to a new school year! So much has happened since my last posting. You will find below some highlights and A LOT of pictures and some information as we begin a new school year.
Be a Superhero!
The theme for this year is to be someone's superhero. I challenge each of you to go above and beyond for your students this year. When they reach out to you, respond quickly and do whatever you can to meet their needs. Love on your students and build strong relationships so they know that you care. If you teach online, you will need to be intentional about building relationships with your students. Embed videos of yourself, have your students submit videos of themselves, do whatever it takes for all of your students to connect with you!!
Graduation
One of my favorite nights of the year. Thank you to all who work so hard to make this night a success!
CAEP & CACREP Retreat Work Day
I appreciate the full-time faculty who came in two days after graduation to begin digging into the CAEP standards and preparing for our self-study. Our self-study is due in May 2017 which is just a few short months away. Gathering your feedback and ideas has been very helpful as we begin gathering evidence that we are addressing the standards, particularly standards 1, 2, and 4. David Collum and Alicia Noddings will be scheduling our next Work Day so we can dig into standards 3 & 5. David and Alicia both attended CAEP Accreditation Team Member Training this summer. I am grateful for their efforts and time spent participating in this training, which will be incredibly beneficial to our division as we work on our self-study.
The Counseling faculty worked on curriculum during the work day as they are preparing for the upcoming CACREP self-study. Clint Limoges will be moving our Counseling team forward as we seek this very important accreditation.
Thanks again to all faculty and staff who attended this meeting!
Congratulations, Dr. Jessica Rice!
Jessica Rice is one of our faithful adjunct instructors who has taught for us for many years. Dr. Rice defended her dissertation this summer and we are so proud of her!
I hope you all had an opportunity to rest and relax this summer. My family went on a cruise and had a wonderful time enjoying each other and extended family as we cruised to Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico.
Student Teacher Orientation
Our new Director of Field Experiences, Dr. Susan Hladky did a fantastic job running the student teacher orientation in early August. In addition to sharing a plethora of information with the students about the requirements of student teaching - MoPTA, Professional Competency Profile, Absence Policy, etc. the morning was full of uplifting and motivating words from faculty, staff, former students, and Kid President! Thank you to Susan, Marsha Tierney, Lowell Pitzer, Kathleen Wendt, Angela McGowan, and all of the supervisors for sharing with us. After the orientation and lunch, Susan led the supervisors in a very helpful supervisor training to prepare us for the upcoming semester.
Farewell Celebration - Susan Rutledge
The president shared a few words as we celebrated with and thanked Susan Rutledge for her many years of service as the Administrative Assistant to the President. She will be missed, but we are proud of her and wish her well as she pursues her new career in nursing.
I am so excited for our new crop of faculty members as they bring impressive credentials and an excitement to join the great work happening in our division. Tammy Cox, Clint Limoges, Jan Speck, and Christine Ward - Welcome to the MBU Education Division! Thanks to Nancy Sickler for putting together these adorable welcome gifts.
Fall Faculty Conference
The last few days have been full of meetings, meetings, and more meetings! As we prepare for this new school year there is information that needs to be disseminated, Canvas training that needs to be attended, and program updates provided; however, central to our preparation work is the desire to provide our students with the best possible experience. One new event that was added to this year's Welcome Weekend Agenda was a Matriculation Ceremony. Keith Ross and Brian Knapp did a fantastic job organizing and pulling off the event. Parents, students, faculty, and staff have provided positive feedback that it is important to begin the school year making clear our vision and core values.Thank you for your attendance and attentiveness at these meetings and events. I am so proud of our division and what you do for students! Keep up the great work and have a great school year!
Upcoming Events This Week
- Division Faculty Meeting Tuesday, 8/23 10:15am - 11:45am FLD Conference Room
- Field Experience Orientation - Main Campus Tue, 8/23 3:00pm - 5:00pm Recital Hall
- Chapel Thursday, 8/25 11:00am
Closing Thoughts
Max Lucado wrote the following in his book, A Gentle Thunder. "We are God's idea. We are his. His face. His eyes. His hands. His touch. We are him. Look deeply into the face of every human being on earth and you will see his likeness. Though some appear to be distant relatives, they are not. God has no cousins, only children. We are incredibly, the body of Christ. And though we may not act like our Father, there is no greater truth than this: We are his. Unalterably. He loves us. Undyingly. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ."
So as you meet a new group of students in the next few days remember that each one of them was made in the image of God. Look for God's likeness in all of your students.
Have a great school year!
Melanie
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