Dear Alumni & Friends,
I was touched recently by an invitation from TC Student Development Activities to the Gratitude Project, where stations would be set up for people to reflect on what they are grateful for, the week before Thanksgiving. What a terrific idea.
So before I share with you news of all that is happening around TC, I want to start by saying that I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. As we enter into the holiday season I want to say that I am most grateful for you, our talented and dedicated alumni and friends who collectively serve as a powerful force for innovation, progress, and social justice for millions of people throughout the world.
Our world class faculty continues to break new ground.
TC is a community of scholars advancing game-changing ideas on so many fronts. In November, we celebrated the launch of a Resilience Center for Veterans and their Families, which I consider among the proudest moments in the history of the College.The Center will map the full landscape of veterans’ transition from military to civilian life by pairing the groundbreaking research on human and emotional resilience by Center Director George Bonanno with the clinical training of students through TC’s nationally regarded Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services directed by Dinelia Rosa.
Last spring, the Loot Inc: Cowin Financial Literacy Project began offering its New York City-based professional development program to teachers across the country through a new website, lootinc.com. In July, TC hosted the 3rdFinancial Literacy Institute, a series of collaborative and interactive workshops on personal finance with explicit ties to standards and curricula. The Loot Inc. curriculum is being used in 22 states and over 50% of New York City social studies teachers have participated in the summer institute. Professor Anand Marri (currently on leave as Vice President and Head of Outreach and Education at Federal Reserve Bank of New York) leads the project; its guiding spirit and benefactor is trustee and alumna Joyce Cowin.
This Fall, the Department of Curriculum and Teaching introduced a Doctoral Concentration for Teacher Educators, spearheaded by A. Lin Goodwin, Evenden Professor of Education and Vice Dean. It’s based on the value proposition that better classroom teaching starts with better Teacher Educators and is aimed at engaging in research and blending scholarship with practice.
Other new programs begun this year include the world’s first Master’s degree program in Learning Analytics; a certificate program in Sexuality Women and Gender; Latina/Latino Mental Health services that prepare psychologists integrating mental and physical healthcare; and a Creative Technologiesconcentration centered on a newly re-outfitted fabrication laboratory – our very own “fab lab.”
TC’s Center for Technology and School Change, directed by Associate Professor of Practice Ellen Meier, received funding by New York City to introduce technology instruction programs in 10 of the city’s struggling public schools. During a major address in September outlining his vision for education, Mayor Bill de Blasio praised Meier’s work as an example of the importance of investing in schools in underserved areas.
On the national front in the ongoing debate around federal student aid, Professor Judith Scott-Clayton testified in June before a Senate Committee about the complex federal student aid system undermining its effectiveness. The bipartisan legislation introduced this year by Senators Lamar Alexander and Michael Bennet was heavily influenced by a policy report Clayton coauthored in 2007.
All of this innovative work emanates from our extraordinary faculty. Since 2007, we’ve recruited 71 new tenure-line professors, which represents more than one-third of our faculty. This fall, we welcomed ten new faculty members, representing a great cross section of fields. They range from multilingual curriculum development to the understanding of psychological risk factors for suicide; and from adolescent literacy among marginalized populations to collective creativity mediated by digital technologies.
Sadly, TC lost beloved faculty this year. Tom Sobol was a respected and cherished member of the TC community who joined us after eight highly influential years as New York State Commissioner of Education. He was someone who lived by the highest ethical standards and influenced others to live that way as well. On October 24th, a memorial at TC remembered Tom’s life and work.
Roger Myers was called the “consummate psychologist” by Warner Burke, a longtime friend and colleague. A 30-year faculty member, Roger championed the development of the field of counseling psychology and was a devoted mentor and advocate to students.
This year, we welcomed 1,840 talented individuals ready to begin their graduate work at TC. Support for our students continues to be our top priority as we’re committed to ensuring that more students realize their dreams of a TC education without crushing debt.
Students are playing a critical role in TC’s response to the worldwide refugee crisis. TC faculty and students are working with Professor Helena Verdeli as part of the Global Mental Health Lab. This summer they began a project in Lebanon to build capacity for dealing with the one million Syrians that have come there in the last wave. From their earlier work in Jordan and in Columbia, students helped prepare a comprehensive manual for mental health services now being distributed by the World Health Organization.
The educational and psychological ramifications of displacement are enormous in a crisis in which 51% of refugees are under the age of 18. This past summer, TC students joined Professor Susan Garnett Russell and Professor Mary Mendenhall from International and Comparative Education to work on an intensive teacher education program that addresses the unique challenges of teaching displaced children in a Kenyan refugee camp. The students are actively engaged in development of a new mobile mentoring app that offers a promising way to reach displaced people in remote locations.
A campaign on the move
“Where the Future Comes First” already is the largest campaign for a graduate school of education, even before we reach our $300 million goal. During the summer, we passed the $200 million mark - and celebrated our progress at 42 Global TC Day events around the world.
The impact of the campaign is showcased on our new website www.tc.edu/futurefirst. The site has received great accolades and – most importantly – lots of traffic. Share the site with friends and visit often – read the newest stories of students collaborating with some of the greatest minds in academia today. Through the “Ways to Engage” section, more alumni are connecting to each other and to TC. Please share your own stories there.
The campaign has made possible so much of the innovative work I’ve described thanks to donors every bit as creative as the programs they are supporting. And our commitment to students achieved record heights: 100 new named scholarships have been established since the campaign began in 2013. What a great way to honor our students and faculty members. All of our alumni and friends can support financial aid, our top funding priority, with a gift to either the TC Fund or to an endowed scholarship fund.
We’re transforming historic buildings into dynamic new spaces as we create the first “smart classrooms” and a new 10,000 square foot Learning Theatre, made possible through a transformational gift by TC Trustee and alumna Camilla Smith and her husband George, on the 4th floor of the Gottesman Libraries.
Just as we’re making our facilities more conducive to exploring new ideas, we’re offering more nimble ways for faculty to bring innovative ideas to fruition. Last summer, Provost Tom James announced a new Rapid Prototyping Fund that speeds up the gestation process for incubating new concepts. Nine grants have been awarded since July.
It was the best year yet for the TC Fund in providing flexible support for emerging needs. The Alumni Council and 21st Century Leaders Committeehelped exceed expectations, increasing their participation and encouraging other alumni to support the College. Jeff Putman, the new president of TC’s Alumni Association, has taken on his role with exuberance; he and the Alumni Council are working to engage all of our 90,000 TC alumni in order to strengthen the fabric of their ties to this great institution and to one another.
TC on the road
This fall, TC continued its travels, sharing our work and connecting with friends and alumni around the country.
We learned more about the tech industry and those investing in it when we convened a roundtable in San Francisco in October. Our goal was to bridge communications between developers and investors and the education research community, and we found the conversation useful and illuminating.
In October, alumni hosted gatherings in Seattle featuring Professor George Bonanno and alum Judy Pigott, and in Palo Alto a gathering at Google heard leadership guru and TC Psychology and Education Professor Warner Burke present his latest research on learning agility. And at brunches in Scottsdale and Philadelphia friends and alumni had the chance to reconnect and hear about the news of TC.
This month our 21st Century Leaders group -- recent alumni raising awareness and support for TC – helped promote and energize alumni around the 4th annual Giving Tuesday. And welcometo new TC board members-- Reveta Bowers, Andres Alonso, Kent McGuire, Paul LeClerc, Diane Halvorsen and Sasha Heinz. They bring great wisdom and experience as TC leaders.
And we have lots more in store for 2016.
In March we’ll honor the 20th anniversary of TC’s Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which reflects our historic commitment to an academic community that includes a full diversity of viewpoints. Some 30 fellows have gone on to become important scholars and powerful voices in their fields. Join us for what I know will be very joyful celebrations.
And mark your calendar for our next Academic Festival on April 2, 2016! Last year’s day was a great success as 1000 attendees enjoyed 15 expert panels, a keynote address by Goldie Hawn, and the celebration of six deserving Distinguished Alumni.
As we look ahead at the new challenges and opportunities, I want to acknowledge all of you and thank you for helping us shape the finest programs and fields in education, health, and psychology -- here in New York City, throughout the country and around the world.
I look forward to working together toward another productive and fulfilling year for Teachers College.
Best,
Susan Fuhrman
President
Published Thursday, Dec 3, 2015
