SPA writers, their chairs amd deans show off the eagle statues commemorating national recognition of their programs, a key component of NCATE reaccreditation.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - One of the highlights of the 2009 Lock Haven University opening meeting was recognition of the achievement of reaccreditation by the National Council of the Advancement of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Deborah Erickson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, stated, “Receiving accreditation or reaccreditation ensures that our educational programs are of high quality, helps to attract future students, and assists in making our graduates marketable.

Erickson announced that while the final notification from NCATE will be in October 2009, in their site visit NCATE Board of Examiners found that all standards required to be addressed in the unit self-study were met.

Erickson recognized the teacher professionals on and off campus who were involved in the reaccreditation process. These were Dr. Jane Penman, Chair; Dr. Cindy Allen; Dr. Sally Lima; Dr. Marianne Lovik-Powers; Dr. Steve Williams; Dr. Marianne Hazel, part of the institutional report writing team; and Mrs. Kathy Blesh and Mrs. Patty Cozzi, secretarial support.

According to the NCATE website, “NCATE accreditation is a mark of distinction, and provides recognition that the college of education has met national professional standards for the preparation of teachers and other educators. In NCATE’s performance-based accreditation system, institutions must provide evidence of competent teacher candidate performance. Teacher candidates must know the subject matter they plan to teach and how to teach effectively so all that all students learn.” The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education accreditation recognize NCATE as an accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education.

As of July 1, 2009, NCATE accredits 632 colleges of education, with nearly 100 more seeking NCATE accreditation. LHU has maintained continuous NCATE accreditation for 55 years.

An important aspect of the NCATE accreditation process is proving that each content area follows professional association standards. In addition to the major self-study, separate reports (SPA reports) were written to prove that LHU programs meet the quality standards required by the professional groups. Erickson recognized the SPA writers and chairpersons for their efforts to receive national recognition for their programs from their respective special professional associations. Each group accepted an award from their respective deans. The award is a statue of an eagle with the SPA engraved on it. The eagles will be displayed in the 24-hour area of the library.

Accepting eagles for their programs’ achievement of national recognition were the following:

Department of Health Science: Dr. Kathy Allison, writer, and Dr. Mary Rose-Colley, chairperson. National recognition: American Association for Health Education.

Department of Elementary Education: Dr. Kathy Rush, writer, and Mr. Terry Brink, chairperson. National recognition: Association for Childhood Education International.

Special Education: Dr. Terry Fagan, writer, now retired, and Dr. Denise Tyson and Dr. Jane Penman, chairpersons. National recognition: Council for Exceptional Children.

Early Childhood: Dr. Christine Remley, writer, and Dr. Denise Tyson, chairperson. National recognition: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

History, Political Science, Economics and Geography: Dr. Cathi Gatewood, writer, and Dr. Stanley Berard, chairperson. National recognition: National Council for the Social Studies.

Mathematics: Dr. Steven Williams, writer, and Ms. Carol Rehn, chairperson. National recognition: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics SPA.

Chemistry and Geology/Physics: Dr. Michael Cullin, writer; and Dr. Jackie Whitling, Dr. Joe Calabrese, and Dr. Anura Goonewardene, chairpersons. National recognition: National Science Teachers Association SPA.

Erickson recognized Professor of Social Work Lynette Reitz for preparing the accreditation self-study for the visit from the Council on Social Work Education in February 2009.

The self-study included the overall description of the program, the syllabi and the field work handbook. It evidenced the manner in which the social work program demonstrated achievement of the eight standards required by the Council. The final report by the Council was received in June 2009. The standards were all met and the LHU social work program is fully reaccredited for eight years.

Erickson also recognized Annejane Ross, director of field work; Timothy Baylor, chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work; and Beth Lawless, department secretary, for their contributions to the reaccreditation of the social work program.