Spring 2023

Greetings from the Chair

Tom Shields headshot Happy Spring! Hope you’re enjoying this beautiful spring weather.

It is certainly an exciting time to be a Spider. It is almost the end of the spring semester which means that we are busy with final assignments, exams, capstones, and internships. We also realize that Commencement, which is on May 6th, is on the horizon and quickly approaching. Beyond the normal end of the year events, there is much going on in Graduate Education Programs, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (SPCS), and the University. Below are some highlights and for more detailed information please read this edition of the spring e-newsletter.

Beginning in Summer 2023, the Partners in the Arts (PIA) Consortium will offer its programming as the Institute for Integrated Learning (IIL), integrating community and culture into all PK-16 learning spaces through the arts and technology. For more information, check out the website for PIA, which will soon be known as IIL!

To serve the programmatic needs of our local school divisions, we are pleased to announce tuition discounts! We have launched a significant discount for our Spider alumni known as the Spider Spirit Alumni Discount. We also offer tuition discounts for educators in K-12 Consortium School Districts. If you are unsure about whether your school or school district is part of the Consortium, please reach out to Kris Waikart, Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator for Graduate Education Programs, at kwaikart@richmond.edu.

We continue to work with local school divisions in addressing their professional development and provisional licensure needs. We are fortunate to continue to implement the grant from the R.E.B. Foundation to support the Provisional License Support Program (PLuS). Also, check out the courses and advising that we offer for provisionally licensed teachers.

Over the past year, SPCS has been celebrating its 60th Anniversary! It has been a year full of celebrations, with more events to come in the spring and summer. Please check out the updates and details on our 60th Anniversary page.

Our new president, Kevin Hallock, is focusing on areas of opportunity for the University of Richmond. President Hallock launched a planning process, called Guiding Lights, to determine strategic areas of opportunity. Learn more about President Hallock’s Guiding Lights in the draft strategic plan.

As you can see from this list above and from the contents of the e-newsletter, there is a lot going on. Like I said at the beginning, it is a great time to be a Spider!

Please enjoy this edition of the Graduate Education spring e-newsletter and hope you have an amazing spring!

Tom
Tom Shields signature
Tom J. Shields, Ph.D.
Graduate Education Chair