Greetings from the Chair
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!
Brief update on what the Partners in the Arts consortium is doing and offering for the Richmond region’s educators, artists, teachers, schools and school divisions.
Updates on programs offered through the Center for Leadership in Education (CLE) including the Next Generation Leadership Academy and the Teacher LEAD program.
Summer 2023 Registration
Spring registration opened on March 14 and the class schedule is available online. Review the summer academic calendar for details.
Advisors are initiating advising appointments. Licensure students should be prepared to discuss progress being made towards passing the required licensure exams and (as needed) course gap completion.
Spring 2023 Comprehensive Requirements
The MEd in Curriculum & Instruction and MEd and Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies are holding capstones. Eligible students will be contacted with further details by their respective program.
Commencement-Related Events
Scholarship Deadline
The deadline to apply for Fall 2023 SPCS scholarships is June 1.
Children’s Author George O’Connor Visits Campus
The Education Studio was proud to host New York Times best-selling author and illustrator George O’Connor for an author talk. O’Connor is best known for his graphic novel series The Olympians, where he retells classic Greek myths in his fast-paced comic book style. His talk focused on his development as an artist and detailed his creative process from sketch to published work. Over 125 students, staff, faculty, and members of the community enjoyed his engaging lecture.
Mindfulness Session for Student Teaching Interns
Social-emotional health and wellness is a focus for our teacher and leadership interns. With a focus on stress-management and relaxation, Dana Jackson, ELPS director of clinical practice, and Deborah Napoli, director of teacher education, partnered with Roger Manacastroppa, associate director of the Academic Skills Center, to present a mindfulness session at the Well-Being Center. Interns left armed with strategies for deep breathing, calmness, and resilience to apply in the field.
Encompass Program Students Visit Virginia Holocaust Museum
Bob Spires, associate professor of education, and Monti Datta, associate professor of political science, accompanied undergraduate students to the Virginia Holocaust Museum in support of a class on nonprofits and social justice that Spires and Datta are co-teaching. The course is part of the EnCompass program and will culminate in a travel experience this summer to Cambodia to examine issues and visit a number of nonprofits as well. While at the museum, surprise guest Marcus Weinstein joined the students, speaking of the need for good teachers and asking the students to consider education as a field.
Congratulations to Dr. Joe Douglas, Instructional Specialist in Colonial Heights Public Schools, for promotion to Adjunct Associate Professor.
Welcome to Dr. Cort Schneider, Director of Disability Services for the University of Richmond, as one of our newest Adjunct Assistant Professors.
These and other faculty recognitions were announced during the Spring 2023 SPCS faculty meeting held January 5.
University of Richmond alumni who have earned an academic certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, post-bachelor’s certificate, graduate certificate, master’s degree or juris doctorate are eligible for the Spider Spirit alumni discount. The Spider Spirit alumni discount offers UR alumni a 25% savings on tuition over the lifetime of a degree program when a member of the alumni enrolls in a degree or certificate program through the School of Professional & Continuing Studies. This 25% tuition discount is also applicable to individual courses taken for credit as a non-degree seeking student in SPCS.
We hosted the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) annual Safe & Healthy Schools Conference on February 15, 2023. Approximately 150 school counselors, nurses, athletics directors, school safety & security professionals, teachers, and school leaders from across Virginia gathered to explore topics and strategies to support safe and healthy schools. We shared UR-related expertise in three sessions:
SPCS is proud to partner with VAIS.
The Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program celebrates the pilot ELPS Consortium initiative. Qualified educators employed in Chesterfield, Goochland and Henrico County Public Schools are eligible for a 20% tuition discount if they are interested in pursuing their educational leadership degree at the University of Richmond. If interested, please reach out Kris Waikart, Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator, at kwaikart@richmond.edu.
Katelyn Wilkerson, GC’22, and Charlotte Martin, GC’22, both graduates of the SPCS Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program, published their capstone projects in the 2022 VASCD Journal.
Congratulations to Desiree Dabney, GC’22, on being named head of the musical theater program at Virginia Commonwealth...
Posted by University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies on Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Laura Kuti, assistant professor and chair of teacher education, co-authored a chapter in the edited collection International Perspectives on School-University Partnerships with Deborah Napoli, director of clinical practice for University education programs, and Bob Spires, associate professor of education. The chapter addressed the teacher shortage in Virginia.
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Bob Spires, associate professor of education, co-authored a chapter in the edited collection International Perspectives on School-University Partnerships with Deborah Napoli, director of clinical practice for University education programs, andLaura Kuti, assistant professor and chair of teacher education. The chapter addressed the teacher shortage in Virginia.
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Deborah Napoli, director of clinical practice for University education programs, co-authored a chapter in the edited collection International Perspectives on School-University Partnerships with Laura Kuti, assistant professor and chair of teacher education, and Bob Spires, associate professor of education. The chapter addressed the teacher shortage in Virginia.
View Bio
Tom Shields, SPCS associate dean, education & leadership studies professor and chair of graduate education, presented “The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Leadership of Congressman Bobby Scott” at the Oxford Education Research Symposium held July 17-19 at St. Hilda’s College of Oxford University.
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Education professor Kate Cassada, assistant chair of graduate education, authored this piece.
Education professor Kate Cassada, assistant chair of graduate education, authored this piece.
Education professor Kate Cassada, assistant chair of graduate education, authored this piece.
Education and leadership studies professor Tom Shields, an associate dean and chair of graduate education in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, authored this piece.
