Dear Friends of the School of Education,
I was deeply honored last summer when Dean Phil Bailey asked me to become director of the School of Education. I have a three-year initial appointment. During that time, I intend to work closely with faculty, staff and external stakeholders to strengthen the School of Education. If you see a way that we can improve our programs, let’s work together.
To give you some sense of my background, I am in my 17th year at Cal Poly. Prior to becoming director, I was chair of the Kinesiology Department. I’m from England originally and taught high school in Bedfordshire before coming to the U.S. for graduate school. My professional background is in teacher education — physical education to be exact — and I was a tenured professor at the University of Northern Colorado before coming to Cal Poly. Susan Roper, then director of the School of Education, was part of the interview team for my position here.
Looking forward, I can see that there is so much important work to be done in education. The nationwide teacher shortage is reflected in California, and we are committed to helping meet that demand. We are currently working on a new strategic plan that will guide our growth and evolution in the coming years. It includes a new World Languages Credential and a planned enrollment increase.
We have a strong foundation to start on. Our programs have well conceived curricula and a faculty that is deeply committed to student success. Faculty and students are involved in many exciting cross-campus collaborations and innovative approaches.
We added to that foundation this year when faculty members Andrea Somoza-Norton and Stephen Crutchfield joined the school. It’s been great getting to know them.
Andrea is taking charge of our Educational Leadership and Administration Program following Jim Gentilucci’s retirement, and she’s doing outstanding work. She has been working with the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District to meet their evolving need for teacher leaders. Stephen’s expertise is in special education, and he is leading efforts on campus to develop a school-wide technology plan for upgrading and increasing our use of technology.
Mike Ruef, Jody Jaques and Shirley Magnusson are retiring at the end of this year. We wish them well as they transition and thank them for their many years of service. We have made offers to three potential new faculty members who would start in the fall.
Thank you for reading and for your ongoing support. You are connected to our programs in such a rich variety of ways, and we value your continued engagement.
Cheers,
Kevin
