UO College of Education earns top marks.Byline: Donald Tykeson For The Register-Guard A decade ago, in the shadow of the Ballot Measure 5 property tax limitation initiative, the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. made sweeping cuts in the College of Education, eliminating teacher training. The cuts were so deep that many believed the college had closed. That perception couldn't be more wrong. Not only has teacher education been reconstituted at the UO, the cutting-edge research the college was known for has continued to be among the best in the nation. UO faculty routinely shape policies, textbooks and curricula not only for Oregon's kindergarten kindergarten [Ger.,=garden of children], system of preschool education. Friedrich Froebel designed (1837) the kindergarten to provide an educational situation less formal than that of the elementary school but one in which children's creative play instincts would be through 12th grade school system, but also for some of the nation's largest school systems (California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). and Texas, to name two). As a longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective trustee of the UO Foundation, I was pleased to see that the annual U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report Weekly newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. U.S. News was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence (1888–1973) to cover important domestic events; he founded World Report in 1945 to treat world news. The two magazines were merged in 1948. rankings named the UO the No. 2 public graduate school of education nationwide and seventh among all universities, public and private. In both rankings, the UO moved up two notches from its positions last year. The college was rated particularly well in the various sub-rankings for graduate education programs. The magazine lists the UO college as No. 1 in the nation in faculty member research productivity - a position the college has held for six of the past seven years - and No. 3 nationally in both quality of students and in special education. U.S. News also ranked the UO the "most selective" public graduate program in the nation. Included in this list are such institutions as Harvard, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , Stanford, Penn and Cornell. We can all be proud of these rankings, which further enhance the UO college's best-in-the-Northwest position. These achievements are even more remarkable given the state's continued disinvestment Disinvestment 1. The action of an organization or government selling or liquidating an asset or subsidiary. Also known as "divestiture". 2. A reduction in capital expenditure, or the decision of a company not to replenish depleted capital goods. Notes: 1. in higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. . Fortunately, this has been partially offset through federal funding that recognizes the quality of UO research. From earliest childhood, the importance of education has been manifest manifest 1) adj., adv. completely obvious or evident. 2) n. a written list of goods in a shipment. MANIFEST, com. law. A written instrument containing a true account of the cargo of a ship or commercial vessel. 2. in our family. One of my first recollections was of receiving a savings bond Savings bond A government bond issued in face value denominations from $50 to $10,000, with local and state tax-free interest and semiannually adjusted interest rates. savings bond A nonmarketable security issued by the U.S. designated for college. My mother was a teacher, and her passion for improving the lot of children in the classroom has carried over throughout my life. In my view, UO faculty members should be complimented on the fact that they spend enormous amounts of time in schools and communities, working with teachers, administrators and families. Our education systems, from kindergarten through the undergraduate college level, are resistant to change for a variety of reasons. The effort by the UO College of Education to address this is extremely valuable. By focusing on the most fundamental challenges facing schools and communities, these faculty members help educators and administrators, school districts and states respond to changing expectations for highly competent, caring educators. This direct faculty contact with schools also has a meaningful impact on the experiences of the educators in training who are currently enrolled at the UO. These students learn from professionals who are strongly engaged in the dynamics of today's schools, and emerge from our university ready to make an immediate difference, whether in the classroom or as principals and administrators leading schools and school districts. We can be proud that UO faculty are key players in the national effort to build better schools and help children be successful learners. Donald Tykeson is vice chairman of Bend Cable Communications. He has been a UO Foundation trustee since 1996. |
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