Case Statement

The College of Education at UNC Charlotte attracts over 3,000 students annually to pursue preparation for careers in teaching, counseling, and educational leadership. Faculty, now 117 strong, lead teaching, research, consulting, and mentoring initiatives that enrich the learning experiences of students, increase the effectiveness of school systems throughout North Carolina, and enrich the world’s knowledge of effective teaching practices.

The college is one of the largest professional education programs in North Carolina and is committed to preparing excellent teachers and other professionals who can help all children reach their potential. As North Carolina’s urban research university, the college has a particular commitment to preparing great educators for urban and other under-resourced schools and has been honored by the Council of the Great City Schools with its Urban Impact Award. Currently 6,677 UNC Charlotte alumni are teaching in North Carolina Public Schools, with 1,944 of those alumni in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

Looking Forward, the Campaign for the College of Education

The Looking Forward campaign has been launched to help provide much needed resources to continue and expand the fine work of the college. Gifts are invited to provide scholarships, to support faculty and student research and service, to support the college’s internationalization goals, to provide equipment and supplies for innovative teaching and outreach programs, and to enable facility improvements for state-of-the art classrooms. Gifts in all amounts will make a difference in the future of the College of Education.

A Tradition of Excellence

Forty years ago, during the 1970-1971 academic year, the College of Education was established at UNC Charlotte. Originally called the College of Human Development and Learning, the college has long included a focus on the broad spectrum of human learning and well being. In the proposal to establish the College of Human Development and Learning, founding Dean John B. Chase, Jr. noted:

“This study began in September, 1969, when a faculty of seven (7) entered the new academic year with the challenge to change teacher education, to be more effective both in the process and in the product, and to become more involved in the crises in the classroom and in the decaying urban school. Immediate priority was given tomoral judgment, the teacher as a person, and to teaching/learning as a unique relationship (1971).”

With this focus on improving opportunities for pupils throughout North Carolina and respecting the relationships between teaching and learning, the college invested in faculty who would bring curiosity, innovative thinking, and excellence in teaching to the work of the college. That tradition continues today, as the college continues to bring people, resources, and strategies together to enrich education across North Carolina, the United States, and beyond.

Over the last four decades, the college has increased the scope and size of its mission and grown in its commitment to research-based practices, strong partnerships with schools and communities, and leadership in the education and counseling professions. In 1971, UNC Charlotte enrolled a total of 4,676 students in contrast to over 25,000students enrolled in 2010. The work of the College of Education mirrors that growth. The college now offers four doctoral degrees in addition to robust undergraduate programs and has increased its research mission while maintaining a strong, student-centered commitment to teaching.

The current mission statement of the College of Education echoes the founders’ dreams and commitment to effectiveness in professional preparation, to the success of urban and other high need schools, and to the centrality of relationships in this important work:

“The mission of the College of Education at UNC Charlotte is to prepare highly effective and ethical professionals who have a positive impact on children, youth, families, community, and schools and who are successful in urban and other diverse settings. This mission is accomplished through teaching, research, and community engagement that lead to improved practice and by working in partnership with schools, communities, and university colleagues.”

Approved by the College of Education faculty, April 9, 2010

Vision for the Future

Access to high quality, equitable education from prekindergarten through the university years is essential to the well being of our citizens. Many children and young people face extreme obstacles to learning due to difficult conditions in their lives and to unevenness in access to high quality education. Schools and communities are facing pressing problems such as high school completion rates of under 70% and lower-than-desired achievement in key subjects including science and mathematics; these issues are of great importance not only for individual success but for the health of our society. The presence of caring, competent and qualified teachers and the presence of visionary, effective school leaders have beenidentified as the most important variables impacting student success. In order to optimize the development of all children, youth, and families, there must be access as well to highly qualified counselors and child development specialists.

The College of Education is committed to having a positive impact on these pressing issues, not only through the professional preparation of excellent professionals but also through research and innovation that come as the results of strong graduate programs.

The long-term vision for the college is to enhance faculty and student resources, broaden outreach and impact, and strengthen alumni connections and resources. Strategic plans developed by the college and university provide specific actions for attaining these goals. Key factors impacting the success of these plans include increased funding and expanded recruitment and support for faculty and students.

Honor

A core value of the college is the belief that educators have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of those they serve. The college celebrates its fortieth year with a series of events and birthday parties to honor the accomplishments of its faculty, students, and alumni, and to honor teachers who are identified through gifts to the campaign.

A centerpiece of the campaign will be the establishment of the Cato Teaching Discovery Mural, a beautiful work of art to be located in an outdoor area next to the College of Education building. This architectural mural carved in brick will honor teachers and provide a unique teaching tool for North Carolinians. The sculpted brick mural will include powerful images of teachers and the act of teaching, and will include images that can be discovered by viewers that relate to North Carolina facts and history. The mural will include plaques listing the names of great teachers identified by donors who make a gift of $1,000 or more to the Looking Forwardcampaign. These funds will be reinvested in the College of Education to provide strategic support for the work of the college. The college will collect the stories from the donors about the transformational power of the honored teachers and will publish a booklet of these stories. Each day future teachers and visitors will be reminded of the importance and power of teachers when they walk by the mural.

Celebrate

The college celebrates its fortieth year with a series of special events and 40thbirthday partiesto honor the accomplishments of its faculty, students, and alumni, and to honor other teachers who are identified through gifts to the campaign. These events will take place throughout 2010 and 2011,with invitations being extended by alumni groups from Boston to Atlanta, and throughout North Carolina. Presentations by college leadership and local alumni will provide an update on the exciting activities at the college as well as progress of the campaign.

Grow

The resources generated by the Looking Forwardcampaign will propel the critical work of the College of Education. Specific gifts for purposes of establishing and enhancing scholarships and enrichment programs will make a tremendous difference in the work of the college. Unrestricted gifts will be reinvested in the College of Education to support student academic programs, faculty research, distinguished lectureships, and community based programs, such as Freedom School Partners, the Center for Multicultural Play Therapy Training, and the Center for Adolescent Literacies, and to respond to emerging needs such as matching funds for major grant proposals.

Additionally, the development of an unrestricted College of Education endowment fund is a critical and strategic goal for the college. An endowment will allow the college to address specific needs on a timely basis, regardless of budget cycles, and will enable the college to respond effectively to emerging needs and opportunities.

Make A Gift

The time is right to invest in the College of Education. Gifts may be made online at lookingforward.uncc.edu. For more information about giving, please contact Lisa Newman at lnewman@uncc.edu or 704-687-8996.