COEHD Newsletters

Happy November from the COEHD!

From the Dean, Dr. David Scott:
As we move into the last part of the Fall semester, I would like to provide some brief food for thought about what I feel should be at the core of education but sometimes gets overlooked: Learning. Of the many theorists, experts, and practitioners that study and write about learning, I really like the description below by Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline:

"Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do. Through learning we re-perceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life."

Each day you teach, you have the opportunity to do the above for yourself and your students. What a great opportunity and responsibility! Have a great November!

SUPCE Conference Addresses Pressing Issues in Education

The wildly successful Oct. 1 SUPCE conference hosted 279 participants from across the educator preparation pipeline, including future educators, current school educators and administrators, higher education employees, cooperating teachers, community members, and special guests. This broad mix of professionals let to great learning and conversations about recruiting, retaining, and supporting educators. | Story

ROTC Offers Team Building

University programs can request that ROTC facilitate a rappelling experience for team-building events. Rappelling takes place from the top of the Center for Sciences. Contact rotc@tamucc.edu.

Department updates

Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences

• We are offering a $2,500 scholarship and waived application fee to grad school for cooperating teachers who have served within the last three years. This is available for the following programs: Curriculum & Instruction, Early Childhood Education, Reading, Instructional Design and Educational Technology, or Special Education. Apply at applytexas.org by December 1.

Counseling and Educational Psychology

• The Texas Counselors and Healthcare Integration Project (Tex-CHIP), now in its fifth year, continues to promote a local behavioral health workforce specializing in providing integrated behavioral healthcare within medically underserved communities. Each year a cohort of students receive advanced training and clinical experience providing integrated behavioral healthcare services. On November 12, we will train students to work with clients presenting with anxiety-related disorders. Monthly training sessions are open to the professional community, with CE credits offered at no cost.
   
• Counseling faculty and students will attend the Texas Counseling Association’s Professional Growth Conference in Dallas, TX, November 9-11. The department will be hosting its first alumni reception at the conference. Dr. Elsa Soto Leggett, current TCA president and member of the first counselor education doctoral cohort at TAMU-CC, will be recognized at the event.
   
• We are proposing a new online master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis on Hispanic mental health. The degree will include coursework leading to a certificate in counseling Spanish-speaking clients. Recruitment will begin in the spring, with the first cohort starting in August 2023.

Educational Leadership

• We're excited to announce TAMU-CC's selection to the Texas Educational Agency Principal Residency Grant for 2023-24! We will partner with public school districts and charter schools to provide principal residency opportunities. Participating districts are eligible for TEA grant funds up to $80,000 per resident intern to help pay for their salaries, tuition, and principal certification exams. The next round of grants will be awarded for the 2023-2024 academic year. TAMUCC is the first principal program in the system with this designation.
   
• The Department of Educational Leadership will host its semester Building the Community event for all EDLD faculty and students on November 12th from 11:30-1:30 p.m. The event has a GROW theme (Gain  Relationships, Opportunities, and Wisdom).
   
• Our new SAGE fellow, Bibek Luitel, who is an international student from Nepal, is getting acclimated and taking nine hours in the doctoral program this fall. Welcome, Bibek!

Garcia Center

• The Community Health Fair, in partnership with the YMCA, is November 5 from 10am-1pm at 2021 Agnes. It's free and offers lots of activities for kids and adults.
   
• The Garcia Center needs volunteers for lots of upcoming fall events! Please contact us at 361-825-3600.

Military Science

• University programs can request that ROTC facilitate a rappelling experience for team-building events. Rappelling takes place from the top of the Center for Sciences. Contact rotc@tamucc.edu.
   
• ROTC Color Guard has been volunteering at numerous events this semester. To make a request, please use our color guard request form.
   
• ROTC will hold a field training exercise at McGloin Ranch, November 11-13 to assess our junior class cadets in preparation for summer training.

ECDC

• On October 28, a ribbon cutting officially celebrated a new chapter for the Early Childhood Development Center, which renovated over the summer and reopened in August as a  prekindergarten hub for Corpus Christi ISD.
  

Here's Your October 2022 COEHD Newsletter!

From the Dean, Dr. David Scott:

Welcome to the October, 2022 COEHD Newsletter! As we continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month into October, I want to first take a moment to recognize and honor all of our students, staff, and faculty whose heritage and family experiences are deeply rooted in the Hispanic culture. One of the well-known Hispanic educators in recent times, Jaime Escalante (1930-2010), shared a quote that I suggest we all remember:

“We are all concerned about the future of American education. But, as I tell my students, you do not enter the future – you create the future. The future is created through hard work.”

As we move forward each day in a mindset of excellence and continuous improvement in the College of Education and Human Development, I see much evidence of passion, commitment, and hard work across our departments and programs in the College. As such, our students, faculty, and staff are all contributing to building a promising and inspiring future for the region and beyond.

Keep up the GREAT work!

Dia de los Muertos Kickoff Fiesta

Join our Antonio E. Garcia Arts & Education Center at 2021 Agnes Street for a Dia De Los Muertos Kickoff Fiesta October 27 5:30-8pm, with fun for all ages, including a mural reveal, Boo in the Park candy giveaway, food trucks, Selena tribute singer, youth folklorico demonstration, Veterans Band performance and flagpole dedication, Regreso de las Almas youth art exhibit, and ofrendas for Dia De los Muertos.

TASS Partnership Targets Systemic Change for Teacher Success

Beginning in October 2022, the TAMU-CC College of Education and Human Development convened an alliance of university, school districts, and community partners in a think tank hub for understanding and improving student success from a comprehensive and intersectional perspective. According to Dr. Carmen Tejeda-Delgado, Director of Transformative Alliances, "Our overall guiding philosophy is that all students are worthy and able to succeed. How we get there and how we ensure that happens will take systemic change at varying levels."

TAMU-CC Becomes a TEA Vetted Principal Residency Program

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been selected by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to participate in their Principal Residency Grant initiative for 2023-24 through the MS in Educational Administration with Texas principal certification online graduate degree program. TAMU-CC will partner with public school districts and charter schools to provide principal residency opportunities. Teachers in eligible districts will be chosen to step out of their classrooms and into full-time, yearlong internship positions as assistant principals, where they will receive on-the-job training and support while completing the M.S. in educational administration and principal certification at TAMU-CC. The goal is to have successful residents hired by their school districts as soon as they complete the program.

For questions on becoming a partner or participant, please contact bernadine.cervantes@tamucc.edu

Department updates

Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Sciences

• Congratulations to Dr. Kelli Bippert who was honored at a reception last week celebrating her promotion to Associate Professor.
• The new BS in Early Childhood and BS in Special Education degrees have received final approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinator Board and student enrollment will begin in fall 2023.
• The Instructional Design and Educational Technology program has begun providing opportunities for paid graduate assistantships that enable students to gain real-word experience in eLearning design and development.
• The CILS Department will soon begin the search for two new faculty positions, one in Bilingual Education and another in Early Childhood Education.

Counseling and Educational Psychology

• The department will be hosting its semi-annual clinical site fair and supervisor training on October 17. Dr. Chris Leeth will be the guest speaker. Students will have the opportunity to meet with local mental health providers to identify potential internship placements.
• The Department’s I-SPEAK team (a SAMHSA-funded initiative) will be co-sponsoring a campuswide student mental health fair on Tuesday, October 18. The event will take place outside the UC. The I-SPEAK initiative fosters suicide prevention through Education, Advocacy, and Knowledge.
• In collaboration with the Chi Sigma Iota student group, the department will participate in the PRIDE parade on October 8.
• At the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling conference in St. Louis, four faculty members and four doctoral students presented their research. One doctoral student, Lien Nguyen, was awarded a $2,500 sponsored student research grant to support her dissertation study.

Educational Leadership

• EdD is accepting applications for new doctoral students for spring admissions – deadline October 15^th
• Recruiting for both EDLD and EDAD with Coastal Bend as well as regional/border school districts continue.
• SACSCOC has approved online status for Education Administration Master’s/Principal program.
• New Master’s in Higher Education Administration has been submitted – projected start date Spring 2023

Garcia Center

• The Community Health Fair is November 5 from 10am-1pm at 2021 Agnes, with lots of activities for kids and adults.
• The Garcia Center needs volunteers for lots of upcoming fall events! Please contact us at 361-825-3600.

Military Science

• 50% increase in Freshman Fall enrollment
• Recruited two national-level four-year ROTC scholarship candidates
• Awarded seven three-year Advanced Designee Scholarships to students demonstrating strong potential for a commission in the Army
• Awarded nine “Catch the Wave” (freshman year) scholarships to attract students to the TAMU-CC ROTC who were considering other school options
• Awarded over $700,000 in student scholarships this semester for ROTC cadets
• Commissioned 10 Second Lieutenants this calendar year: seven active duty, two reserve officers, and one Texas Army National Guard
   

ECDC

• We said good-bye to our nurse Angie Guerrero on September 30^th.  She has been a huge support at our campus.  Through COVID, lockdowns, room sanitizing, Band-Aids and tummy aches, she has been by our side, holding our hands.  She has been a true partner in educating our students and parents.  She will be missed!  The department of nursing is currently interviewing for a replacement.  We will introduce our new nurse once they are named. 
• Book Fair is October 3–6.  Please feel free to stop in and look at the book selection.  All profits from the book fair will be used to purchase additional books for our classrooms.
• Open house is October 4 from 6–7pm. 
• On October 7, CCISD will host all PK4 teachers and their paraprofessionals at our ECDC campus for staff development.  They will meet in the former library upstairs.  All CCISD students will be home on holiday.
• Monday, October 9–14, CCISD will be closed for the first intersession break of the school year. If you have students that need to observe our classrooms, please make note that we will not be open. 
• Monday, October 17, Our students begin learning about their classroom theme.  All students have learned about themselves, families, and school.  This is our first week of our actual theme teaching.  Students will remain in their classrooms until November 17^th.  Moving day to new rooms will be Monday, November 28^th.
• Wednesday, October 19 & 20, our teachers will be out of town visiting the Jandrucko PK Academy in Mansfield, Texas. Our teachers are looking forward to learning more to support our students!
• October 28 will be the official ribbon cutting for the ECDC, at 10am. 
• On October 28 from 6-7pm we will hold our first trunk or treat!  We would love to have the various departments support our fun event by having a trunk and dressing up for the activity.  We will line up on Angelfish drive. It will be a spooky good time!
• We are waiting for our playground, however, it is scheduled for installation sometime in mid-October. Look for changes soon!

Welcome!

From the Dean, Dr. David Scott:
Welcome students, faculty, and staff as we begin the 2022-23 academic year! To those of you who are new to TAMU-CC, we are exceptionally pleased that you have joined our Islander community and the College of Education and Human Development. For all, both new and returning, I look forward to connecting with you and learning about your dreams and goals for the future.
I encourage everyone to view this newsletter each month for updates and highlights from the College. It will also offer an event calendar and various features including research and scholarly activity, student accomplishments, alumni news, and community engagement.

There are two key points I want to share as we begin this year:

1. Truly make the MOST of opportunities in 2022-23. Many you will create on your own and many will come your way. All, at some level, will have the potential to significantly impact your future.  

2. Embrace differences. We come from many different backgrounds, communities, and experiences all pursuing our ambitions as students, faculty, or staff. Refrain from making assumptions, and take some time to get to know and appreciate people who are different from you.

I wish everyone an exciting and productive start to 2022-23.

Go Islanders!

SUPCE: Collaboration for Change
October 1 | Register

This year’s School and University Partnership Conference of Education (SUPCE) at TAMU-CC highlights one of the most pervasive issues in education today: Teacher shortage. The causes and solutions are complex. SUPCE 2022 seeks to explore the myriad of factors contributing to the evolution of teacher shortage, as well as identify ways that university and school partnerships can improve the preparation and development of the profession of teaching. Equally important, this collaborative conference aspires to proactively foster a climate of teaching and learning that supports and nurtures education students, partnerships, and communities within a caring and responsive platform which promotes sustainability, sense of purpose, vision, equity and love for all students everywhere.

SUPCE proposals are open through September 7
 

Researching Active & Healthy Aging

Dr. Mikaela Boham, associate professor of athletic training, joins a team studying active and healthy aging, supported by a Texas Comprehensive Research Funding award. The team will study older adults' use of digitized mats to customize their own versions of square stepping, an indoor group exercise program. The research will investigate the use of this exercise protocol to decrease the risk of falls, decrease cognitive decline and impairment, and increase functional mobility in older adults. The team also includes Dr. Kyoung “Kelly” Lee and Dr. Meng Zhao (Nursing and Health Sciences) and Dr. Lucy Huang (Science and Engineering).
 

Inaugural Class of Islander Teacher Residents

The TAMU-CC COEHD is proud to announce the inaugural class of teacher residents, known as Islander Residents. To address the ongoing challenges that school district’s face recruiting and retaining qualified teachers, the College worked diligently over the last year, in partnership with US-PREP, Corpus Christi ISD, and Gregory-Portland ISD, to develop teacher residency programs that provide rich year-long, field-based teaching experiences for teacher candidates while meeting the staffing needs of our partner districts. Six Islander Residents are placed at Corpus Christi ISD’s Early Childhood Development Center on the TAMU-CC campus and five at Gregory-Portland ISD’s Stephen F. Austin Elementary school. Our exemplary Islander Residents are fulfilling roles as district employees, while simultaneously meeting TAMU-CC Program requirements for degree completion and teacher certification with the leadership of Site Coordinator and Seminar Professor Dr. Robin Johnson. The university and partner districts involved in the Islander Residency pilot program are committed to transformational partnerships that are built on shared governance, positive student learning outcomes, and teacher recruitment and retention.

Department updates

Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Science

• In collaboration with our colleagues in Counseling, we have enrolled the first group of scholars in the Future Leaders Implementing Collaborative Supports (Project FLICS) funded by the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The project will prepare experts and leaders in special education with certification in educational diagnostics and school counseling through an interdisciplinary master’s program that includes shared coursework, group assignments, and clinical field experiences.
   
• The department has been working with colleagues throughout the university to update the Teacher Education Core Curriculum.
• Two new degree programs, the bachelor of science in special education and bachelor of science in early childhood education, have been approved by the TAMU system and await final approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Counseling and Educational Psychology

• All programs have renewed full accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs through 2028.
• The Community Outreach Collaborative is now asking clients for a $5 donation. The COC is  accepting donations from the public to support sessions for clients with financial need.

Educational Leadership

• Proposals are open for the CEDER Journal, Las Voces Nuevas.
• The doctoral program will host a Fireside Chat  November 12 between Saturday class sessions working to build the doctoral student community in Educational Leadership.
• The department is working toward adding a new degree program, the master of science in HEAD (Higher Education Administration).
• The EDAD principal preparation program has transitioned to offering both 100% online coursework in fall 2022, as well as traditional f2f class options.
• Dr. Chris Benedetti was elected to the Executive Board for the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL).

 
Kinesiology

• Dr. Frank Spaniol was named a Regents Professor for the Texas A&M System at a ceremony in College Station August 9.
• The department celebrates the addition of three new team members (Dr. Erica Filep, Dr. Euisoo Kim, and Dr. Ron Snarr), and the promotions of Dr. Doyeon Won to full professor and Dr. Dan Newmire to associate professor.
• Dr. Don Melrose was appointed president of the Board of Directors for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation.

Garcia Center

• The Center's wildly successful Back-to-School event just provided 328 backpacks full of school supplies and 102 haircuts at no cost to local children.
• A hygiene closet is providing free items to members of the community in need, thanks to a grant from Superior Health.
• The Westside Business Association's 16 de Septiembre fiesta and market will benefit the Garcia Center. It's Sept. 16 from 6-11pm at Heritage Park.
• An opening reception October 27 celebrates the Regreso de las Almas youth art exhibit and  community-made Ofrendas for Dia De los Muertos at the Garcia Center.
• The Community Health Fair is November 5 from 10am-1pm at 2021 Agnes, with lots of activities for kids and adults.

Military Science

• Five cadets commissioned as second lieutenants in the Summer 2022 Commissioning Ceremony.

ECDC

• The ECDC is now open in its new, reconfigured early childhood format with 137 students in seven classes. Six of the classes are prek4, and one class is prek3.
• The school still has about 20 unfilled spaces and is seeking more students.
• Six Islander education students are placed at the ECDC, each paired with a cooperating teacher in a new yearlong residency program.