Another academic year has flown by, and by the time you read this, another group of students will have graduated and left the college to make their mark on the world. I am proud of all of them, but am especially proud of this year’s WorkLink class, which you can read about here. WorkLink was started by some of our faculty who are dedicated to improving the lives of others, and particularly people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program enables these students to participate in postsecondary experiences and education alongside their peers. They also learn to become more independent and succeed in work environments. This year, nine students earned certificates in WorkLink Strategies and Employability, and participated in spring commencement with their peers. This is one shining example of how our college is pushing boundaries and Changing Education by Educating for Change.
We also are pushing boundaries in the resources we employ to teach our students. Thanks to a generous, $1.2 million gift from Gay and Bill Krause, we will be building a Pedagogy Innovation Lab to create a vibrant and versatile classroom that supports the discovery of new pedagogies through making and other creative activities. The Krauses have been great friends and supporters of the college for many years, and I also am pleased to share that Gay Krause, who already is an Alumni Fellow, was named a Distinguished Alumna of our college.
One of the reasons I became dean of the Penn State College of Education in September 2019 was that I was excited to be able to work with the outstanding faculty in this college. Since that time, my excitement has turned to awe over the work they do, both in the classroom and through their research. As evidence of their excellence, members of our faculty are being recognized within the college, the University, statewide, nationally and even internationally.
This edition of our magazine is coming out slightly later in the spring than usual, because we wanted to include some of those accolades. Inside this issue you’ll read about Kai Schafft, who was awarded his second major Fulbright U.S. Scholar award; P. Karen Murphy, who was elected to the National Academy of Education, the highest honor that could be bestowed on an educational researcher; Matthew Kelly and Ed Fuller, whose expert testimony and insights contributed to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decision in early February that declared Pennsylvania’s K-12 school funding system unconstitutional; and Jimena Cosso, who is one of five Penn State faculty members named Social Science Research Institute Mentored Faculty Fellows for 2023-24. As this magazine was going to press, I also learned that other faculty, staff and students won awards from the University’s Multicultural Resource Center, from the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and from our college.
Two of our faculty members, Efraín Marimón and Ashley Patterson, are taking their social justice work to South Africa this summer, where they will meet with higher education faculty and students and learn about various social justice efforts they’re currently undertaking as a way to inform what we’re doing here in the college and the University as a whole.
It’s important to note that our faculty, staff and students are more than their work, however, so you also can read about some of the interesting hobbies practiced by people in our college.
I encourage you to read the stories in this issue, and keep up with what’s happening in the college through our Bridges e-newsletter. If you don’t already get that twice-monthly email, please contact edrelations@psu.edu and they’ll subscribe you. Also be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for even more frequent updates on the good work of the college.