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Dean's Welcome

The 2011-12 academic year is under way at Whitworth University, and the School of Education, which runs year ‘round, is a busy place. Our three teacher education programs (Undergraduate; Master in Teaching; Evening Teacher Certification) are preparing for statewide field testing of the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA), a high-stakes, performance-based test that will be required of all candidates for teacher certification in 2013. With the TPA, the state has once again raised the bar for candidates to meet certification requirements in Washington.

Our graduate programs are also very active. We initiated a new curriculum for the preparation of school administrators this fall, and
Dr. Alison Olzendam, the director of the program, is very pleased to have 16 students in our first cohort. The Community Mental Health Counseling Program also has larger-than-expected enrollment this year, following a trend that has been building for the last several years. Dr. Krista Crotty is directing that program in her first year at Whitworth.

In addition to Dr. Crotty, we welcomed two more faculty members to our ranks. Professor Anne Wilcox joins us as “Teacher in Residence,” with a specialty in English Language Learner programs. Professor Wilcox fills a need that we have had for many years, and she is already taking a strong leadership role. Professor Lori Johnson, an experienced teacher from the Spokane School District, will be on staff this year to fill a leave-of-absence need. Professor Johnson, who has earned the prestigious teaching certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, is a faculty member in the Master in Teaching Program and is also serving as our  elementary coordinator.

Other changes in the school this year include Dr. Kathryn Picanco’s move to a new role as director of the Whitworth Center for Gifted Education and Professional Development; this move came as a result of the retirement of the center’s founder and longtime faculty member, Professor Margo Long.
Dr. Debbie Tully is occupying a new position as well, serving as the associate dean for Teacher Education and School Partnerships. Dr. Roberta Wilburn’s position was also elevated to associate dean status; she will be doing more work with program chairs to keep our graduate offerings “state of the art.”

In July, the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board approved our teaching, school counseling and school administration programs for seven years. In all cases, every standard was met; no recommendations for improvement were cited. We are currently awaiting the board's decision on approval from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Our programs have been state-approved for more than 100 years, and we have been nationally accredited by NCATE since 1966.

The Whitworth University School of Education is characterized by several distinctive qualities that are guided by our conceptual framework, and we will continue to emphasize those qualities this year. Our graduates are well prepared, and all take seriously Whitworth's mission to provide "an education of mind and heart."

For more information about the Whitworth School of Education, please browse through our web pages at www.whitworth.edu/soe or contact us by e-mail at soe@whitworth.edu.


Dennis W. Sterner, Ed.D.
Dean of the Whitworth School of Education