Faculty from the Arkansas Tech University College of Education met at the Lake Dardanelle State Park Visitors Center this week to create a shared vision of how the institution will approach educator preparation in the years to come.
“During my year as dean of the College of Education, I have observed an excellent faculty dedicated to providing and modeling the best practices in teaching, learning and leadership for its students,” said Dr. Mary Gunter, dean of the Arkansas Tech College of Education and dean of the Arkansas Tech Graduate College. “As all departments in the college met together in a beautiful setting at Lake Dardanelle, we were able to take time out of our busy schedules to have collegial discussions identifying core beliefs to guide our future work on behalf of our students.”
Producing qualified teachers and leaders for Arkansas schools has been a point of emphasis at Arkansas Tech for 90 years, dating back to the appointment of Dr. James R. Grant as the seventh president of the institution in 1926.
Formerly of the staff at the Arkansas Department of Education, Grant created a Division of Education at Arkansas Tech and was active in hosting summer teacher institutes according to the late Dr. Kenneth R. Walker’s “History of Arkansas Tech: 1909-90.”
Nine decades later, the Arkansas Tech College of Education provides for the educational needs of the State of Arkansas by molding professionals prepared to serve students ranging from birth to pre-kindergarten to K-12 and adult learners.
“Arkansas Tech’s College of Education seeks to be the first choice for those preparing to teach and lead, both in the public schools and on university campuses,” said Gunter. “Time invested working together moves us toward that goal.”
