(Covering the period of September 1, 2011 through August 31, 2012)


September 2011

At a TC remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, psychology faculty member George Bonanno delivers a talk on human resilience titled “Out
of the Ashes.”


October 2011

At “Reconstructing National Identities: Intercultural Bilingual Education in Latin America,” hosted by TC faculty member Regina Cortina, top scholars share their research about the emergence of bilingual and bicultural education in Latin America as an academic discipline.

The new, federally funded Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE), led by faculty member Thomas Bailey, holds its inaugural meeting. CAPSEE seeks to determine how well various postsecondary pathways prepare students for the workforce. 

Susan H. Fuhrman extends her term at the helm of Teachers College. A TC alumna, Fuhrman became TC’s President (and the first woman to hold the job) in 2006. Under her leadership, the College has grown its enrollment annually to a modern-era high.

In her annual State of the College address, President Fuhrman says TC “has reached a pivotal moment” where research in the learning sciences and the College’s “unmatched interdisciplinary depth” position TC “to be the nation’s premier academic resource and catalyst for educational transformation.”

To mark Food Day (October 24), a curriculum developed by TC’s Nutrition Education Program is posted online for teachers across the country.


November 2011

TC and its Fulbright Adviser and Fulbright Scholar Program Campus Representative, Deputy Provost John Allegrante, are cited for their role in making Columbia University a top producer of Fulbright scholars nationwide.

A. Lin Goodwin becomes Vice Dean of Teachers College. The appointment of Goodwin, who previously served as Associate Dean of Teacher Education, is intended to give leadership to a major renewal in Teacher Education at TC.


December 2011

The TC Provost’s Investment Fund awards grants to eight new interdisciplinary faculty projects. Created in 2007, the Provost’s Fund has supported nearly 60 projects with grants of up to $20,000 each.


January 2012

TC’s Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals holds a roundtable discussion about New York City’s plan to institute principal evaluations. The speakers include Peter McNally, Executive Vice President of the Council of Supervisors and Administrators; David Weiner, Deputy Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education; and New York State Regent Kathleen Cashin.


February 2012

Teachers College and the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore establish a joint Master of Arts program in Leadership and Education Change. Based at NIE in Singapore, the program is part of a broader educational collaboration between Singapore and the United States.

TC’s new Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis convenes a panel on the role of policy in education reform, featuring Christopher T. Cross, author of Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age; Jack Jennings, founder of the Center on Education Policy; and Wendy Puriefoy, President of the Public Education Network.


March 2012

Educators, researchers and policymakers gather at TC for “Educational Assessment, Accountability, and Equity: Conversations on Validity Around the World.” Organized by faculty member Madhabi Chatterji, the conference is jointly hosted by TC’s Assessment and Evaluation Research Initiative and the Educational Testing Service. 

TC hosts its inaugural student-run TEDx Teachers College Conference, “Innovations in International Education.” The live-streamed TEDx talks are an extension of a nonprofit global enterprise that has featured presenters such as Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall and Bill Gates.

The National Council of Ghanaian Associations, Inc. gives its 2012 Humanitarian Award to Cate Crowley and Miriam Baigorri, faculty members in TC’s Speech/Language Pathology Program; TC President Fuhrman; and Provost Thomas James. Since 2008, Crowley and Baigorri have brought TC students to Ghana to provide free services for children and adults with communication disorders and to provide development for Ghanaian professionals.


April 2012

The College holds its fourth annual Academic Festival, titled “Rewiring the Learning Landscape.” Economist Jeffrey Sachs receives the College’s Medal for Distinguished Service and delivers a keynote address on the power of information technology to address the global crisis of environmental sustainability.  


May 2012

At TC’s Commencement exercises, President Fuhrman urges 2012 graduates to “accept the call to serve society by becoming the inventors of tomorrow.” The College honors “the people’s astrophysicist,” Neil deGrasse Tyson; U.S. Undersecretary of Education Martha Kanter; and cultural historian Shirley
Brice Heath.


June 2012

Teachers College hosts Pakistani education officials and provincial leaders in New York City and Washington. Under a $5 million, three-year collaboration, funded by USAID and led by faculty member Gita Steiner-Khamsi, the College is helping Pakistan create two-year and four-year undergraduate teaching degrees, a nationally approved curriculum and resources for a formalized field of education research.

The Teachers College Community School holds a moving-up ceremony for its inaugural kindergarten class. Nancy Streim, TC’s Associate Vice President for School and Community Partnerships, calls the milestone event the culmination of “a kind of fairy tale” that began in 2006 when President Fuhrman vowed to create a new school to help meet the area’s continuing need for education.


July 2012

Teachers College and TeachingWorks, a national organization at the University of Michigan School of Education, host “Connecting Advances in Learning Research and Teacher Practice: A Conference About Teacher Education” on TC’s campus. Led by President Fuhrman and Deborah Ball, Dean of the College of Education at
the University of Michigan, the conference focuses on models for seamlessly integrating research knowledge into teaching.

The need for school district leaders to think creatively – particularly by finding new ways to meet learners on their own turf – is a key theme at the 69th Superintendents Work Conference. Held annually at TC, the conference is led by Brian Perkins, Director of TC’s Urban Education Leaders Program.


August 2012

Major Thomas E. Kennedy, 35, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a member of the fourth cohort of TC’s Eisenhower Leader Development Program (ELDP), is killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. Kennedy, who leaves behind two young children, was a veteran of two previous tours in Iraq. He is posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. 


Research Highlights

George Bonanno, Professor of Psychology and Education, receives a grant of just under $3 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to learn more about the factors that predict prolonged grief in people who lose a spouse.

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Assistant Professor of English Education, guest-edits a special issue of The Journal of Negro Education focused on the question: Would fewer black male students drop out if more black men were teaching?

Faculty members Mariana Souto-Manning, Celia Genishi and Susan Recchia receive a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to prepare dual-certified teachers in both early childhood education and early childhood special education. The teachers will work with immigrant children and their families.

Ernest Morrell, Professor of English Education and Director of TC’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education, is installed as Vice President of the 40,000-member National Council of Teachers of English.  
 
In a study published online by the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Counseling Psychology, Robert Carter, Professor of Psychology and Education, and other researchers find that perceived racism may cause mental health symptoms similar to trauma and could lead to some physical health disparities between blacks and other populations in the United States.

Anna Neumann, Professor of Higher Education, is installed as President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.
 
Three studies by a team of investigators that includes TC Deputy Provost John Allegrante find that patients can improve their adherence to an exercise or medication regimen by cultivating a positive mental attitude and practicing self-affirmation techniques. The studies are published online in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Research conducted for UNICEF by faculty member Gita Steiner-Khamsi reveals a previously hidden teacher shortage in six Eastern European and central Asian nations.

Andrew Gordon, Professor of Movement Sciences, is corecipient of a $640,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for research on neurological disorders and prosthetic hands. 

Faculty members Thomas Bailey, a leading analyst of community colleges, and Sharon Lynn Kagan, an authority on early childhood education, are elected to the National Academy of Education for their “extraordinary impact” on education in the United States and abroad.

A study of elderly New Yorkers led by Elizabeth Midlarsky, Professor of Psychology and Education, finds that among various ethnic groups, Jews are the most receptive to psychotherapy. The study is published in the Journal of Religion and Health.

A study led by TC’s Suniya Luthar confirms elevated rates of substance abuse, depression and other problems among affluent youth nationwide. The study is published in the journal Development and Psychopathology.

Lena Verdeli, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, is corecipient, with colleagues from the New York State Psychiatric Institute, of a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to launch a fellowship training program in global mental health. The program – the first of its kind ever funded by NIMH – will enable fellows to
take courses at TC and other Columbia schools.

TC’s Center for Technology and Social Change, led by faculty members Ellen Meier and Howard Budin, is chosen by the Environmental Protection Agency to offer competitive awards of up to $5,000 to support hands-on environmental education for K–12 students in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Lisa Miller, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education, is elected to serve on the American Psychological Association’s Council of Representatives, the organization’s governing body.
 
A paper coauthored by Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura, who received her doctorate from TC’s program in Adult Learning and Leadership in 2010, and her former adviser, Lyle Yorks, Associate Professor of Adult and Continuing Education, receives the 2011 Elwood F. Holton III Research Award, recognizing the year’s outstanding article in the journal Human Resource Development Review.

Some 181 faculty, students and others affiliated with Teachers College present at “To Know Is Not Enough,”
this year’s meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), in Vancouver. Celia Genishi, Professor of Education, receives triple honors, including the 2012 Scholars of Color Distinguished Career Contribution Award and the Critical Perspectives in Early Childhood Education Distinguished Career Contribution Award. Education economist Thomas Bailey receives the 2012 Division J Exemplary Research Award for work focused on postsecondary education. Carmen Martinez-Roldan, Associate Professor of Bilingual/Bicultural Education, receives the AERA Division K Mid-Career Award. Felicia Moore Mensah, Associate Professor of Science Education and Science Education Program Coordinator, receives the AERA Division K Early Career Award.


Policy Highlights

The report “Achievable and Affordable,” edited and coauthored by Michael Rebell, Professor of Law and Education Practice, establishes a legal framework and cost parameters for providing the country’s neediest children with improved educational resources and other wraparound services, including health care and after-school programs. Rebell also convenes a group of leading policymakers, including TC alumnus John King, New York’s Commissioner of Education, at the College to debate the report’s recommendations.

The Journal of School Health devotes its October 2011 special issue to nine articles by Charles Basch, TC’s Richard March Hoe Professor of Health and Education. The articles document the disproportionate impact of seven health issues on the academic achievement of low-income minority youth. Basch also outlines a strategy for instituting school health programs coordinated by an extensive cast of school stakeholders.

The December 2011 issue of Health Education & Behavior, edited by TC Deputy Provost John Allegrante, reports on the newly emerging focus on social determinants, such as poverty, by the consortium Healthy People in its 2020 health goals. Healthy People sets the national agenda for health promotion and disease prevention.

A study conducted by researchers at the TC-based National Center for Postsecondary Research finds that dual enrollment – an increasingly popular preparatory strategy for college success – is effective only when high school students attend college classes on a college campus.

In announcing a summer jobs program for youth, the White House cites a TC study coauthored by faculty member Henry Levin showing that public spending is about $13,900 per year for each person between ages 16 and 24 who isn’t working or in school. The so-called  social costs of dropping out and being unemployed, which are paid for by a combination of public and private money,
are about $37,450 per year, per person.

Luis Huerta, Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy, is named an editor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the research publication of the American Educational Research Association.

Two new studies from TC’s Community College Research Center – including one authored by Judith Scott-Clayton, Assistant Professor of Economics and Education – find that community colleges unnecessarily place tens of thousands of students in remedial classes.

A two-year study of “developmental summer bridge” programs in Texas, conducted by researchers at the National Center for Postsecondary Research, finds that students who enrolled in these programs had a greater chance of passing college-level math and writing courses in their first 18 months of college than did students who did not enroll. Yet the effects were not persistent and had no effect on credit accumulation after two years.

A report from the National Research Council, authored by a committee that includes TC’s Henry Levin, contends that promotion of 21st-century “deeper learning” skills will require systematic instruction and sustained practice, including instructional time and resources beyond what is currently devoted    to content learning.


2012 Highlights Diversity & Community Affairs

TC’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs (ODCA) supports programming with involvement from departments, offices and students to build community and civility, promote workplace contentment and address institutional climate concerns. 

Several initiatives by ODCA address the increased demands of the Title IX guidance by the U.S. Department of Education, promote education about gender-based misconduct and harassment and strengthen TC’s climate concerning LGBTQ issues for all students.

The Year's Efforts Include:

Launching the new website Preventing Sex and Gender Discrimination, Harassment & Sexual Assault – Title IX, and the required online Harassment Prevention professional development course.

The launch of the Doctoral Educational Initiative for Black and Latino Males Working Group, led by the Provost, with a well-attended panel, “Call to Action: Doctoral Education for Black and Latino Males.” 

Development and implementation of LGBTQ Safe Zones training with Columbia’s SpeakOUT program.

LGBTQ Issues and Dialogues sessions for pre- and in-service teachers, addressing students’ request for discussion and guidance in navigating their identities in professional work spaces.

A daylong teach-in with Columbia University’s Multicultural Affairs Office on “Institutionalized Homophobia and Heterosexism on College Campuses.”
 
The symposium “Dealing with Disaster: Caring for Japan Post 3-11,” featuring a range of Columbia scholars.

A workshop addressing integration of individuals with disabilities into TC activities and events, focusing on increasing digital access.

Screening and discussion of the 2011 Sundance film The Hidden Treasure of Black American Sign Language: Its History and Structure, led by its Gallaudet University creators.

Screening and discussion of the documentary film Miss Representation, about the mental health impact of the media’s dehumanization of women and girls. 

Help EnVision Yourself, a program to encourage traditionally marginalized first-generation college students to aspire
to graduate education.

The Fourth Annual TC Cook-Off and Tasting Celebration with faculty and staff.


2012 Highlights Environmental Initiatives 

TC continues its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Since the implementation of its Sustainability Commitment in 2010, the College has significantly reduced its energy consumption and improved its waste management and recycling. Among our accomplishments as of October 2012:

TC completes a two-year program to retrofit and/or replace all campus water fountains to reduce use of bottled water. So far this program has removed at least 39,125 plastic bottles from the waste stream. Programs implemented to date have reduced electrical consumption by 1,315,600 kilowatt-hours in 2012. 

This equates to preventing 1,749,748 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. This is enough electricity to power 42 single-family homes for a year (based on consumption of 3 kilowatts per hour). The College increases its recycling rate to 50 percent by the end of August 2012 and is working toward increasing the recycling rate to 75 percent by the end of 2015.


2012 Highlights Development

Overall, TC enjoys a very strong year in all areas of giving, with a focus on continued growth in private support.   

The total raised is $48.2 million, an increase of nearly $22 million (83 percent) over the prior year’s total. Fundraising from individuals reaches $33.2 million, an $18 million increase from the prior year, with the majority of those funds coming from the generosity of TC’s trustees, including two transformative eight-figure commitments.

The TC Fund achieves its goal of $2.02 million, with this growth and continued success once again attributable to
the leadership giving of the John Dewey Circle, which grows by nearly 30 donors (14 percent).

Giving from foundations and corporations tops $15.3 million, an increase of more than $3.4 million (29 percent) over the prior year.


2012 Highlights Office of Sponsored Programs

TC increases its overall volume of grants for innovative projects, which totals $43,641,332 in awards from private foundations and government sources. The total includes:   

$25,312,311 in renewal awards; $3,919,658  in supplemental awards; $14,409,363 in new awards.


2012 Highlights New Faculty

TC hires the following new faculty members for Fall 2012:

Robert Alcala
Minority Postdoctoral Fellow (Education Policy and Social Analysis)

Ryan De Baker
Sachs Distinguished Lecturer and Visiting Associate Professor (Human Development; Mathematics, Science and Technology)

Alex Bowers
Associate Professor of Education Leadership (Organization and Leadership)

Corbin Campbell
Assistant Professor of Higher Education (Higher/Postsecondary Education)

Richard Jochum
Associate Professor of Arts Education (Arts and Humanities)

Sonali Rajan
Assistant Professor of Health Education (Health and Behavior Studies)

Priscilla Wohlstetter
Distinguished Research Professor (Education Policy and Social Analysis)


2012 Highlights Enrollment Services

In Fall 2012, TC achieves record numbers for applications, new student enrollment and selectivity. In all, applications have increased by 26 percent in the past five years.

Among our 2012 highlights:    

The College receives 6,689 applications in 2012, an increase of 3 percent over 2011.

1,887 new students enroll in the Summer/Fall, a slight percentage increase over 2011.

19 percent of incoming students are from outside the United States, and 25%
have self-identified as students of color, making this the most diverse entering class in TC’s history.

In particular, “the applicant pool from China has skyrocketed,” increasing by 71 percent over last year, says Thomas Rock, Executive Director of Enrollment Services, reflecting TC’s sustained outreach in
China in recent years. In all, nearly 500 Chinese students apply, and more than 100 enroll

Published Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013