PEK Welcomes New Kinesiology Leaders

 On Thursday, Dec 10th 6:00 pm a new member initiation ceremony was held for Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity in Kinesiology in the College of Education. There were 17 inductees that joined. The La Tech Chapter is Eta Eta, established in 2012.  The ceremony was conducted by President Erin Nevala, Secretary Stephanie Smart, and Vice President Lainie LeGrande.   Many faculty, friends, and family of new members joined the new PEK students, as well as members of the ESPE organization. For more information about  PEK, check out the link orgsync.com/PhiEpsilonKappa . Mrs. Smiley Reeves, one of the PEK advisors, submitted this exciting story and provided a personal message of congratulations. She stated, "We are proud of students who qualify for the honor fraternity. They have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better and have demonstrated excellence. Congratulations! "

Launch of Exciting STEM Education Program

The UTeachTech STEP 1 courses began this quarter at Louisiana Tech in the Think Tank, the new technology-rich classroom located on the College of Education's Woodard Hall.  The project team is happy to report that 88 students have enrolled in the STEM education certification program! The figure is much higher than the 25 anticipated in the initial composition of the grant project proposal. Of the 88 students registered, there are 13 categories of STEM disciplines represented, including Biology, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Cyber Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Environmental Science, and other. There are also a substantial number individuals typically underrepresented in STEM disciplines enrolled as part of the program with 57 of the 88 students in the UTeachTech STEP course being female. Students met with the UTeachTech Team and enjoyed snacks on their first day in the course.  Initial planned professional outreach activities with the UTeachTech students include collaborating with the SciTEC Center in the College of Education through its Adopt A School Partner, Cypress Springs Elementary School, to host a free STEM day in January as well as a job shadowing colleagues through another partnership with CenturyLink and redelivering STEM lessons to Ouachita Parish and Monroe City Schools.  Given the large number of female UTeach enrollees, relationships are also being forged and planning is taking place to integrate partnerships with the WiSTEM (Women Influencing STEM) group on campus, OWISE,  and other campus colleagues including Drs. Heath Tims, Allie DeLeo, Mary Colderera Moore, Jamie Newman, Marissa Orr, Bill Campbell, and Katie Evans.

As noted on the UTeachTech website, the program "pairs the University’s esteemed engineering and science programs with its outstanding teaching preparation programs, resulting in a single, interdisciplinary degree program that provides you with the knowledge needed to work in industry and the skill set to lead in the classroom."  The project is funded by a $1.45 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Math and Science Initiative.  The replication of the UTeach program at Louisiana Tech University of  the University of Texas at Austin is one of 44 funded in the nation and one of 5 funded in the last funding cycle. The collaborative endeavor spans each of the colleges at Louisiana Tech University and is led by as strong leadership team including, Co-Directors Dr. Bill Deese, Dean Don Schillinger, Associate Director, Diane Madden,  Master Teachers Mr. Chris Campbell and Mr. Glenn Larson,  Technical and Outreach Coordinator for the Project, Mr. Chris Coleman, and Co-PI and Program Lead Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent.

Mr. Randy Moore, Featured Faculty for Fall Enrollment Efforts

As noted in the blog during Thanksgiving, there were many to whom we should be appreciative for the work well done to accomplish a strong and successful fall quarter in the COE and at Louisiana Tech University! One of those such individuals was part of the TLLI Initiative led by the Department of CIL, Mr. Randy Moore. The initiative included scholarship opportunities for Bossier and Caddo educators to pursue master and doctoral level course work in Educational Leadership and expand the reach of Louisiana Tech University support westward even further.  Mr. Moore is the Professional in Residence in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership. He is a former district leader, principal, and educator.

 In response to the overwhelming success of the fall initiative, he noted that "Over the years, the Caddo/Bossier school districts have supplied some of our finest Educational Leadership candidates.  When President Guice indicated that he desired to extend the footprint of Louisiana Tech in northwest Louisiana, it seemed only natural to cultivate the already productive partnership with those two school districts.  When we shared the prospect of Educational Leadership cohorts with the officials in the Caddo/Bossier districts, they fully embraced the concept and invited us to come to their turf to promote participation.  While I am gratified by the large numbers of participants in both cohorts, I am not surprised by those numbers at all.  The desire on the part of the department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership at Louisiana Tech to  partner these with two progressive school districts to produce high quality school leaders will pay dividends to these districts now and in the future." We are appreciative for Mr. Moore's work in concert with Dr. McCoy, Dr. Parker, Dr. Morgan, Dean Schillinger and the Office of Professional Education Outreach which resulted with enrollment of over 60 master and doctoral candidates!

Polishing the COE Strategic Plan

December 1, 2015, was not only the first day of the new month, it was also the first day of the development of the new College of Education Strategic Plan.   Beginning in early 2015, a leadership team including Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Lanie Dornier, and Dr. Mitzi Desselles consulted with Dr. Gil Reeve, Vice Provost at Louisiana State University and nationally recognized expert in strategic planning, to design  a strategic plan that reflects the vision and mission of each unit within the COE and aligns the subsequent goals and objectives to the Louisiana Tech University Tech2020 Plan. Dr. Reeve and the core planning team met with the entire COE faculty in the spring of 2015. Over the 2015 year, departments and units designed, reviewed, revised, and polished independent strategic plans. Tuesday of this week, division leaders, guided by faculty feedback,  reviewed each  unit plan; identified commonalities (themes) across the college; and began work on a comprehensive strategic plan that describes where we are, where we want to be (benchmarks),  and how we are going to get there (action steps) as a college. The beneficial day of reflection and planning on Dec. 1 and the initial meeting in the spring of 2015 provided a reminder of the unique, collaborative culture we enjoy at Louisiana Tech University and in our College of Education; yet another reason to be grateful during the season of thanks. Thanks to Drs. Cummins, Dornier, and Desselles! The time and effort they put in to this process has exceeded expectations and has set the stage for intentional action that matches the mission, vision, and goals of the College of Education, the units within it, and the University. Thanks to the Dean, Associate Dean and Unit Heads, Faculty, Staff, and Students for collaborating on this endeavor. Once complete, we look forward to sharing the work with our COE family and our Louisiana Tech University family.

Thankful for a Great Fall Quarter and a Record-Breaking Number of Students

Our COE is grateful for a wonderful fall quarter and a record-breaking enrollment for Louisiana Tech University for 2015! We are thankful that the COE was able to contribute significantly to both the graduate and undergraduate enrollment of Louisiana Tech University which totaled 12414 students. Our three departments, Kinesiology, Psychology, and CIL  had a total of  1345 undergraduate students enrolled for the fall, according to data from Mrs. Lori Theis. Of the 1345, more than 450 enrolled from our rapidly growing Department of Kinesiology alone. The total number of graduate students for the entire University totaled 1718. Of the 1718 students, 935 graduate students were enrolled in our College of Education. That is over 1/2 of the total university graduate enrollment for fall 2015!

Our graduate numbers for new students also soared with 513 new graduate students students being officially admitted and enrolled for the 2015 fall quarter by the ninth class day.  In fact, of the 695 total new graduate student enrollment for the University, according to data from the LATECH Graduate School, 74% were enrolled through the COE. Of the 513 new students admitted and enrolled in the college, 387 students were enrolled through the Office of Professional Education Outreach (OPEO) in the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC) .  The LLLE and LLL COE combined enrollment total for new and returning students for the University for the quarter equaled 446, just over 1/4 of total University graduate enrollment.
New collaborative extension efforts were critical to the success of our College of Education this  quarter and included projects in Caldwell, Morehouse, Livingston, Caddo, Ouachita and Bossier parishes, to name a few. Even teachers in Michigan engaged in the online opportunities through coursework on the MOODLE platform. Doctoral cohorts were also established  through the TLLI program, processed through the OPEO unit, and lead by the Department of Curriculum Instruction and Leadership. Leaders in the extension efforts for the 2015 included  Mr. Jody Purvis, Drs. Randy Parker, Mr. Randy Moore, Dr. David Gullatt, and Dr. Carolyn Talton, with each enrolling between 30-80 students each for the custom coursework. Interdisciplinary partnerships with faculty and staff in biomedical engineering as well as local and national agencies including the Department of Natural Resources also contributed to the figures and served as foundational partnerships for new large-scale efforts planned for the academic year.

The continued success of the COE is also a direct result of the outstanding caliber of students we have and currently served. Psychology boasts the highest number of graduate teaching students who continually deliver high quality instruction and research to supplement the efforts of the outstanding faculty. The competitive positions are sought nationally.  Innovative programs such as, orientation and mobility through PDRIB, and custom professional development courses through AE Phillips, one of the highest ranked K-8 schools in the state of Louisiana, also are integral factors in annual enrollment success. While all faculty, staff, students, administrators, and alums in our College of Education are responsible for the high quality programing, strong reputation, and numerous successes in our division; we wanted to highlight a few of the key contributors that lead the way in terms of program development, enrollment, and outreach for the 2015 quarter. During this season of thanks, we plan to share a few of their stories and successes! Thanks to you for your contribution to the success of the College of Education. We wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Adopt-A-School Partnership Leads to Science Stars Shinning

In addition to the two events this week through the Adopt-A-School partnership (See initial blog for 11/20), the SciTEC's IDEA Place team also  took students from the Science Club at Dubach School to do demonstrations on the morning show on NBC's KTVE in West Monroe, LA, last week. This is the second year that Dubach School has partnered with SciTEC for the STEM TV experiences. Mrs. Kimberly Franks and Mr. Matthew Vincent sponsor the Science Club group. The demonstrations will be aired on Friday's during the 2015 winter on both NBC'S KTVE and FOX 14.

The students toured the studio and offices of the station. Pictured is Justin sharing how the digital magic happens on live television!  The tour was followed by a tour of ULM where students were able to "Feed the Turtles" and earn a shirt describing the experience. SciTEC's IDEA Place also received a donation to provide lunch at a restaurant of the students' choice. They selected Willie's Duck Diner where some enjoyed alligator, duck, and other fixings. Pictured below are the students following their academic adventures, making a Bulldog with one hand and a Warhawk with the other, in front of the Louisiana Tech Bus. Thanks to Mr. John Price for providing transportation for the experience. Collaborating with ULM and encouraging students to find the best fit for them for post-secondary studies helps our kiddos as individuals and our larger community on the I-20 corridor. Thanks to Seth in ULM admissions for his time and willingness to show the students another great Louisiana university. Of course, students also received goodies from our SciTEC Center in the Louisiana Tech University College of Education for participating and being "Star Scientists" for the day.

If you would like to participate with SciTEC's IDEA Place in the College of Education and help out our local schools, or if you are at a local school and have a specific need with which we can help you; feel free to email lbkv@latech.edu. Thanks to Cathi Cox-Boniol and Ivana Flowers for their hard work organizing the initiative.To learn more about the Adopt-A-School program, you can visit the following link: http://www.rustonlincoln.org/pages/Adopt-A-School .  To learn more about SciTEC and our many outreach programs and branches, check out this link: http://education.latech.edu/departments/science_technology_education_center/ .

In the event you need something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, be thankful for the great kiddos in our parish. They are amazing and on their way to accomplishing great things!

SciTEC Partners with Lincoln Parish Schools through the Adopt-A-School Program

The Science and Technology Education Center's (SciTEC) IDEA Place at Louisiana Tech University is a proud partner with each of the Lincoln Parish public schools for the 2015-2016 school year through the Adopt-A-School Program. The program is directed by the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Project ACHIEVE. As described on the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce website, "The Adopt-A-School program aims to bring more community involvement to Lincoln Parish public and private schools through pairing schools with community partners – businesses, churches, civic groups, even individuals."  Through the Adopt -a-School program, the SciTEC IDEA Place team has had the opportunity to meet great young people and amazing educators at Ruston Junior High School and Choudrant Elementary School this week for the interviews for Student of the Year and the Annual Book Character Costume Competition and Parade. We had the opportunity to interview six stellar junior high candidates all deserving of the Student of the Year honor. Thanks to Assistant Principal, Mrs. Keisha Osborne, for the invitation to meet these awesome young people. The caliber of students at RJHS and in our district is absolutely amazing!  While the students and costumes were also absolutely amazing at Choudrant Elementary, it should be noted that the teachers also did a fabulous job dressing the part! Pictured is Mrs. Moore as Doc McStuffins! Thanks to Mrs. Johnnie Simone and Ms. Brenda Brister for the invitation to be a part of the day of fun and learning!