Dean's message: Serving the greater good

As Georgia's flagship public research institution, the University Georgia and its College of Education serve the state through research, teaching and outreach. Perhaps nowhere else in the University's efforts are these three foci more intertwined than in the pursuit of improving preK-12 education and related human services. Our efforts as a College of Education include developing new instructional techniques, methods for better assessing student learning, and novel approaches to improving human services. These research efforts result in new discoveries and infuse the State of Georgia with new ideas and resources. Our collective efforts also enrich the course content for our students, allowing us to provide cutting-edge ideas to the next generation of practitioners and leaders in fields as diverse as middle grades education, school leadership, special education, school psychology, sports management, and science education.

All of this research and teaching is accomplished within the context of service to Georgia and it's many communities. The College's efforts — as multifaceted as they are — ultimately are successful only if they impact the lives of people in the community. We are very proud of our contributions to the state of Georgia. Among our recent accomplishments:

• The College of Education continues to expand its partnerships with school districts and other constituencies in education and related human services. Some of our current efforts include partnerships with the Clarke County School District, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Barrow County School System, Greene County Schools, and Northeast Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency.
• In the last year, these partnerships have helped the College of Education faculty bring into Georgia more than $14 million in research funds to facilitate new discoveries.
• The College of Education graduated more than 1,250 teachers, school leaders, and related services professionals last year, most of whom are working in Georgia.
• For those already degreed and employed, we continue our long tradition of providing professional development throughout the state, allowing others to benefit from the new approaches and strategies being developed by the College of Education faculty. Beginning this year, we also have nine new online graduate degree programs to allow more people to earn a degree from the College of Education.
• The College of Education also has more than 60,000 living alumni who contribute in many ways to their communities, bringing us great pride in their impressive accomplishments.

We are a community of learners, which means we never stop our journey of discovery and outreach. In the pages that follow we invite you to learn more about the innovations emanating from the College of Education. We are proud of these efforts and pleased to share some of our recent accomplishments with you.

Best regards,

Craig H. Kennedy, PhD

Dean and professor