By Jeff Murphy,
April 10, 2019
The 欧美视频鈥檚 College of Education is celebrating its centennial
during the 2019 academic year. The college鈥檚 100-year history includes a former Training
School that prepared students to become teachers by working with elementary and secondary
school students.
WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥 From its early roots as the State Normal School for the Second Normal
District, the 欧美视频 has a longstanding tradition of producing
quality educators to prepare the next generation of students. Progress made during
the past 100 years is being highlighted as the university celebrates the centennial
of its College of Education (COE) with activities ranging from honoring outstanding alumni educators to publicly
unveiling its vision for the future.
A university committee continues to work on finalizing a number of special activities
that will call attention to this important milestone, according to College Dean Robert
Lee. He noted that more details about special events showcasing UCM鈥檚 legacy as a
premier Missouri school for educators will be announced in the near future.
鈥淭he foundation of this university sits on the shoulders of teachers and teacher education
leaders across the state, and we have remained a leader in teacher preparation in
the state of Missouri for 100 years,鈥 Lee said.
He noted that the centennial coincides with the naming of the institution in 1919
as Central Missouri State Teachers College (CMSTC). It was the first name change since
the institution鈥檚 founding as a State Normal School in 1871. The impetus for an institutional
name change came at noon on May 20, 1919, when Missouri Gov. Frederick D. Gardner
signed into law a bill to rename all of the normal schools in Missouri. The ceremony
commemorating that event included participation from then CMS President Eldo Hendricks,
who soon began preparing for another institutional milestone, the 50th year since
the university鈥檚 founding. As planning for the College of Education鈥檚 centennial is
underway, another university committee is also working on preparations for UCM鈥檚 150th
anniversary 鈥 the sesquicentennial planned during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Lee said fun and educational events during the COE centennial will engage faculty,
staff, students, education alumni and other interested campus and community members.
Among the many activities is a golf tournament on July 26 at Pertle Springs and special
recognition activities for prominent COE alumni on Oct. 25-26.
Other special events include a ribbon-cutting ceremony near the beginning of the fall
2019 semester for specially designated space on the second floor of the Lovinger Education
Building. This area will also be used to support philanthropic personnel serving the
college and its students, and will be accessible to college alumni.
鈥淢y hope is to transition this space into what we will call our 鈥楲egacy Suite,鈥 which
is consistent with a campaign we are building called 鈥楳y Central, My Legacy,鈥欌 Lee
said. 鈥淭he Legacy Suite will house our development officer out of the Alumni Foundation
office, as well as an instructional faculty member who is an alum and has been working
to create and expand our school district partnerships.鈥
鈥淭here also will be another office space that can be used for alumni who visit campus,鈥
Lee added. 鈥淲e often ask our alums to come back and engage with our students, either
as guest lecturers or to sit on panels. This would be a space for them to use.鈥
He pointed out that a hallway on the second floor of the Lovinger Education Building
will showcase college history and spotlight outstanding alumni 鈥渨ho have laid the
groundwork for who we are today.鈥 A special event honoring these individuals is being
considered in the planning process.
A capstone event is being created around the development of COE鈥檚 strategic plan,
鈥淰ision 2020.鈥 Serving as a blueprint to guide the college into the future, this plan
aligns with a campus-wide strategic planning effort that is currently in progress.
鈥淚n January 2020, we plan to unveil and get right into strategic plan implementation
and five years of building and growing,鈥 Lee said.
COE Associate Dean Chris Stockdale stressed, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a plan rooted in history, but it
also signals a new era.鈥
Lee and Stockdale will provide more information about the COE strategic plan and other
opportunities to celebrate the college鈥檚 rich history in the coming weeks. Both are
eager to share COE鈥檚 strong legacy with others.
UCM鈥檚 College of Education today consists of two schools, the School of Teaching and
Learning and the School of Professional Education and Leadership. It is estimated
that nearly 80 percent of college alumni are teaching in Missouri schools, representing
UCM in more than 75 percent of the state鈥檚 school districts. In addition to bachelor鈥檚,
master鈥檚, education specialist and a cooperative doctoral degree, UCM sponsors eight
charter schools in Kansas City that cumulatively serve more than 5,000 students. Signifying
its longtime commitment to quality education programs, UCM has been professionally
accredited for teacher education longer than any other higher education institution
in the state.
Learn more about the college by visiting its website.