TC Campus News
Keeping up with people, events and other news from Teachers College
Strengthening Ties with China
TC President Susan Fuhrman toured China in June, speaking at alumni events, chairing a TV panel on U.S.-Chinese educational exchange, addressing a roundtable of Chinese education leaders at the Shanghai Expo Forum and keynoting a commemoration of the century-long relationship between TC and China.
“Appreciation for the discipline and tradition of Chinese education is growing throughout the United States,” Fuhrman told alumni in Hong Kong. “Our two education systems are moving closer together, with China seeking ways to inspire greater creativity and independent-mindedness among its students, and the United States striving to learn from China’s emphasis on content knowledge and work ethic.”
Mun Tsang, founding Director of TC’s Center on Chinese Education, organized the “Centenary Anniversary” conference in Beijing where Fuhrman spoke. He was honored there as an “International Scholar for Excellent Contributions to Chinese Educational Development.”
Recently, TC has partnered with East China Normal University to enable undergraduates at the university who aspire to teach to come to TC for intensive preparatory courses. Another effort is bringing Chinese high school students to TC for preparation for enrollment at top U.S. colleges and universities. The College is also forging strong ties with the government of Shanghai-Pudong and China’s National Academy of Educational Administration.
Welcoming the Entering Class
More than 1,900 new students arrived at TC in September 2010, the largest, most selective and most diverse incoming class in the College’s history.
Applications for the Summer or Fall 2010 semesters reached an all-time high of 6,082, up 4 percent from 5,861 last year and up 17 percent since 2006. While career changers are well represented among applicants, the average age has fallen, to 27 from 31, also continuing a multi-year trend.
Despite the national economic difficulties and teacher layoffs in many parts of the country, TC saw an increase of about 15 percent in applications to its teacher education and certification programs.
Training for an Epidemic
TC will launch the nation’s first master’s degree program for diabetes educators in fall 2011. Offered entirely online, the program will equip clinicians and care managers with a more research-based understanding of how diabetes develops across different populations; teach the management of patients’ illnesses; and develop advocacy skills for effective public health policies. The incidence of diabetes in the U.S. has doubled since 1990. Directed by Kathleen O’Connell, Isabel Maitland Stewart Professor of Nursing Education, the interdisciplinary, 36-credit program is accepting applications for its inaugural cohort of 25 students through January 15, 2011. To learn more, visit www.tc.columbia.edu/diabetes.
Gardner Leads External Affairs
James L. Gardner joined TC in July as Associate Vice President, External Affairs. Gardner previously served as policy advisor to New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman; editor at the Philadelphia Daily News; and, most recently, special assistant to University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann.
“Great educational institutions such as TC have both the credibility and the responsibility to shed light on the enormously complex issues surrounding education to which there are no shortcuts or easy solutions,” says Gardner, who earned his undergraduate degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and spent some time working toward a master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia.
“We are so fortunate to have a creative communications professional of Jim’s stature and experience join our TC team to help position the College for our upcoming fundraising campaign and 125th anniversary,” said Suzanne Murphy, Vice President for Development and External Affairs.
A Gift for TC’s Rita Gold Center
A five-year $50,000 pledge from the Gloria and Hilliard Farber Foundation will enhance The Leslie R. Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. Williams, a Professor of Education in the Curriculum and Teaching department who passed away in 2007 after a career focused on multicultural and early childhood education, wanted all children to be able to experience a high-quality early childhood education.
The fund provides scholarship assistance to children who otherwise would not be able to attend TC’s Rita Gold Early Childhood Center. The Center selects recipients of the Williams award yearly.
Gloria Farber, (Ed.D., Early Childhood Education, 1993) is currently Education Director of Columbia University Head Start, sponsored by the Mailman School of Public Health.
To contribute to fund, contact Tom Phipps at (212) 678-3077 or phipps@tc.edu. Donations by check are payable to Teachers College, Columbia University, indicating The Leslie R. Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund in the memo section. Mail to TC’s Office of Development and External Affairs, Box 306, 525 West 120th St., New York, NY 10027.
Published Monday, Dec. 13, 2010
