“COE Bear Tracks”
October 1, 2021
Volume 2, Number 3
Important Announcements
Rural Imperative Initiative Funded by the Gates Foundation
The Rural Imperative Initiative aims to give a voice to rural schools across the nation. The College of Education is partnering with the Rural Schools Collaborative, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and the National Rural Education Association to bring the needs and concerns of rural schools to the attention of state, regional, and national policymakers.
COVID-19 Vaccines and Wellness Incentive
Getting your COVID-19 vaccination before Dec. 1 qualifies you for a $20 per month discount on your health insurance premiums ($240 for the year).
If you were vaccinated off-campus, you won’t qualify for the $20 per month discount unless you notify Magers Health and Wellness Center of your vaccination. You’ll need to submit your COVID-19 vaccination card to Magers in person, by fax to 417-836-4133, or through email to magersmedicalrecords@missouristate.edu.
Third dose Pfizer boosters are now available at Magers based on CDC guidance. These are authorized for use at 6 months after the 2nd Pfizer vaccination. All faculty and staff who regularly interact with students meet the criteria for “workers with jobs that place them at high-risk for COVID-19 infection.”
Getting your flu vaccine before Dec. 1 qualifies you for an additional $10 per month discount on your health insurance premiums ($120 for the year). Flu vaccines are available at Magers. You can sign up through your MyHealth Portal, and there is no cost for MSU employees.
Please join President Smart for the next virtual town hall scheduled for Oct. 4 at 12:15 pm. He will provide an enrollment update as well as updated COVID-19 data and any updates to the university’s pandemic policies.
BLV and O&M Programs Receive National Accreditation
Our Blind and Low Vision program and our Orientation and Mobility program received notification this morning that they have been awarded full accreditation by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. I appreciate all the individuals who supported this effort, and I want to particularly thank Dr. Shari Scott for the considerable time she devoted to this work. Congratulations!
MACTE Fall Conference
Barri has paid the Institutional registration for the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) Fall 2021 Conference, which means that any MSU faculty member can attend for no additional cost. The virtual link to the conference will be sent to MACTE members and can be shared with anyone. The conference is Oct. 25-26.
Call for 2021-2022 Curriculum Innovation Grant Proposals
The Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL) Advisory Council is pleased to announce its Call for Proposals for Curriculum Innovation Grant funding. The purpose of this grant opportunity is to support faculty in advancing teaching and learning practices at Missouri State University.
Curriculum Innovation awards provide funding of up to $4,000 per grant. An itemized budget of expenses is part of the application process. Proposals smaller than $4,000 are encouraged to apply.
Proposals are due October 31,2021 and faculty will be notified in November if their proposal has been awarded.
COE Faculty and Staff News
Dr. Kennedy Ongaga Awarded Spencer Foundation Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Kennedy Ongaga in our department of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education! He was awarded a grant from The Spencer Foundation to research how we can better support ELLs in times of crisis.
Mind’s Eye – Our Genders, Our Emotions
Humans are emotional beings. What influences our feelings or reactions toward everyday occurrences, however, is more obscure.
Dr. Elizabeth King, a Missouri State University College of Education professor, researches the learning environments of early childhood students. One area she investigates is how teachers talk about emotions with young children. She was recently featured in Mind’s Eye.
Our Administrative Professionals Rock!
By Delores Joyce, Office of Human Resources
This spring, ten administrative professionals on our campus attained the designation as a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP). The employees participated in a six session CAP Review Course and passed the rigorous CAP exam. The CAP designation is recognized as a standard of proficiency in the field and is sponsored by the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Congratulations to the Spring 2021 COE inductees:
- Sally Buckner
- Rose Lee
Greenwood Faculty and Staff
See attached photo.
Bear POWER News
Bear POWER is excited to announce we are accepting applications for our fourth cohort. All information for applications can be found on our main website located here. Click here for the September Newsletter.
Refocused Marketing Strategy for Master’s Program in Special Education
Dr. Megan Boyle and Dr. Linda Garrison-Kane are refocusing their marketing strategy for the master’s program in Special Education, with an emphasis in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to target teachers or other clinicians who are interested in pursuing certification in behavior analysis. In Spring 2021, they worked with the Association for Behavior Analysis, International to ensure that students who complete the SPE master’s program in ASD officially have all necessary content hours required to take the certification exam. Read more…
Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce Update
The Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce has been hard at work developing initiatives and opportunities for a more just, equitable, and inclusive College of Education. Of note, the LGBTQ+ working group, under the leadership of Dr. Stephanie Huffman, Matthew Scott, and Juli Panza, developed a LGBTQ Cooperating Teacher Guide to help ensure student support via beginning of year conversations. An online resource library and professional learning opportunities are among our many efforts, with more information coming soon.
Here are our Fall 2021 working groups. Feel free to reach out to your departmental representatives or Dr. Dennis Rudnick if you have ideas for the work of the task force.
Outreach Activities
There are two kinds of people in the world this time of year. Those who curl up with a pumpkin spice latte and a book as soon as it was officially fall last Wednesday, and those that began frantically making lists and marking off the days before the end of the semester.
Regardless of personality type, we have colleagues who are making contact and actively recruiting future Bears. On Wednesday, Sept. 15, Kim Roam and Denise Cunningham presented to the GO CSD class of Career Pathways at Monett High School. The topic of discussion was “What careers are there for someone interested in early childhood? What programs does MSU have available for these careers?” Kim presented on the Child & Family Development program, describing all four Option areas (child development, youth development, family studies, and child life). She provided a long list of career choices open to people pursuing a Child & Family Development degree. Denise presented the degrees available in Early Childhood Education and the MS Ed Early Childhood Special Education. Staff and students were surprised at the wide variety of careers available to them in the broader “early childhood” field. Peg Winfrey, Monett instructor, also discussed possible dual credit options for her students. Read more…
Alumni Spotlight
Bears in Every Building: Stakeholder Feedback Needed: Elementary Program Redesign
The Elementary Education program at Missouri State University (Go Bears) is beginning a program reconceptualization/redesign with our focus on preparing current and future teachers to best meet the opportunities and challenges in our communities, schools, and their own classrooms.
To that end, we want to know what you think will help Missouri State elementary teacher graduates be successful in the classroom. What can we as a program incorporate in their preparation that will strengthen them as professionals who will prepare elementary students for success in the classroom and life? Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.
We appreciate your time and collaboration.
Minor Baker, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Elementary Education
Department of Childhood Education & Family Studies
Place-Based Grant for Rural Teachers
The Rural Schools Collaborative is seeking applicants for their Celia B. Godsil Grants in Place Fellows program that provides grant awards to rural school teachers who engage their students in exemplary place-based learning. Each Godsil Fellow will receive a total award of up to $3,000. Of this amount, $2,000 will be earmarked for the place-based project, and $1,000 will be provided to the educator as an honorarium. The application deadline is Oct. 15.
ATLL Workshops
The ATLL continues to provide training…
Meetings/Events
October 2021 Town Hall
- October 4, 2021
12:15 – 1:30 pm
Zoom
Continuous Improvement Seminars (for EPP Assessment Work)
Fridays from 10:00-11:30 on the dates noted below
All will be held through Zoom
- November 12
- February 11
- March 4
- April 1
January College Meeting
- Friday, Jan 28- place/time TBD
COE Alumni Initiative
Click the picture below to learn more:
