NCE Adjunct Breakfast

This key annual event took place on this morning. It was a great opportunity to meet our adjuncts, both the ones in my program and across the institution. This year, I met a supervising teacher from the secondary education program. I really enjoyed meeting him because I got a much better understanding of all the valuable contributions these seasoned professionals make to our programs and to the professional preparation of the teachers we certify.

The wisdom and experience of these supervisors, and the value they add to the preparation of teachers, is one of the ways that colleges of education provide an excellent preparation for teachers, which is often lacking in alt cert programs. As we continue to engage with the challenges colleges of education face, we need to focus on the added value our programs provide. Outstanding supervision of rigorous clinical experiences is just one way NCE does a great job of preparing teachers.

I also got to meet two of our program's newest adjuncts. My role is to schedule them for courses once they are approved by our program coordinator. It's so great that we have two new enthusiastic and well-prepared professionals to join the nearly 40 adjuncts in our program.

NLU's adjuncts are a very valuable human resource for the institution, and this breakfast is just one way that we honor their service, provide professional development, and share with them the vision for college.

Presentations by President Megahed and Dean Hilsabeck provided everyone with a shared vision for the university and the college. NLU and NCE have a lot to do in order to find their way toward becoming "the college of education (or university) of the future," to paraphrase Dr. Hilsabeck. I am really encouraged that, again, the President of NLU and the Dean of NCE, have involved all faculty--adjunct and full time--in creating a shared vision for the future.

I want to express my special thanks to Ruth Ravid for her work with adjuncts and the adjunct council. She has been organizing this breakfast for as long as I have been working here, and I always find it valuable.