From the President’s Desk: Summer 2015

Educating teachers is in SUNY Oswego’s DNA. Since our founding by Edward Austin Sheldon more than 150 years ago, we have incorporated and developed the most effective teaching techniques to educate students. In the late-1800s, that meant adopting “object learning” or using multisensory techniques to reach a wide range of learners.

Today, we continue that tradition, as you will read in this issue. We feature a psychology alumnus Gordon Sherman ’75 whose career in researching the brains of dyslexic individuals informs his work today as the founder of the Laurel School of Princeton, a 1-8 grade school in New Jersey for students with dyslexia (story on page 24). The founding principle of his school—“to inspire students and equip them with the tools needed to achieve academic success… through a powerful combination of teaching methodologies and technology”—mirrors the student-centered, active learning style Sheldon instituted at SUNY Oswego so many years ago.

We remain a leader in education, and I was happy to appoint Pam Michel dean of the School of Education earlier this summer. Having served as interim dean since 2011, Dr. Michel led the school to a flawless reaccreditation by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), whose team of reviewers indicated that Oswego excelled in and performed beyond expectations in all of the standards, including the self-identified area of excellence on field experience and clinical practice. Our excellence in teacher preparation has garnered attention well beyond New York State.

Teachers and administrators from around the globe come to our campus to learn how to use technologies more effectively in their schools and classrooms. Our International Professional Achievement Academy, now in its second year, has achieved remarkable success with its cross-cultural programs, this year with delegations from China and India attending our workshops (story on page 22). Our education alumni support current Oswego students’ success by hosting and mentoring the future educators during their student-teaching placements (story on page 20).

Earlier this summer, more than 1,000 of our alumni returned to campus for Reunion 2015. (See photos on page 28.) Many of you dedicated your careers to educating generations of young people, and you shared stories about your time as teachers and as students at Oswego. You expressed gratitude to your alma mater about how fortunate you feel to have had such a rewarding career, and we are proud to celebrate your accomplishments and the impact you have made.

Now, as summer moves into fall, we welcome our new and returning students who, today, enroll in more than 110 majors and minors and come from all corners of the world. Although we have broadened our mission to educate students who will take roles in a variety of professions, we remain committed to a bold and progressive vision that SUNY Oswego will graduate leaders whose hands-on, minds-on philosophy will help make a positive difference for future generations.

– President Deborah F. Stanley