Thirty-five years ago, I began my career as an educator teaching social studies at Boston English High School. Little did I know then that my career would wind its way from the Boston Public Schools through two more states and another country, public and private schools, principalships and professorships, and, ultimately, here to suite 310 in the John W. Porter Building.

And little did I know then that the journey would leave me as committed to this profession – leaders, practitioners and students alike – as that first day. In fact, leading the EMU College of Education puts me at the center of so many important debates in American society that I can't help but feel energized every single day.

The opportunity to work with others in creating transformational change is remarkably rewarding. Together, we are making a difference on campus and around the state in areas such as:

* Accreditation and accountability. As many of you know, I recently reorganized the college structure shortly before my one-year anniversary as dean. As part of that overhaul, I created new responsibilities for an associate dean for academic accountability, and created the position of assistant dean for field experiences. In doing so, I wanted to make sure that our students were getting the best educational experience available. In addition, the college established a new system for documenting student-learning outcomes.

* Engagement. We are gladly spending an incredible amount of energy to sustain the momentum established in June when we presented "The State of the African American Male in Michigan: A Courageous Conversation." As a follow-up to that summit, we invited Dr. Alford Young, a scholar from the University of Michigan, to campus Nov. 15.

* Excellence. We established a Professional Education Advisory Council (PEAC). The PEAC includes representatives from across the campus and representatives from community partners involved in preK-12 schooling. The PEAC will help ensure that our curriculum and programs are attuned to the needs of educators and school districts.

These initiatives are having an immediate impact and are helping to ensure and strengthen EMU's legacy as an educational leader. We're proud – and grateful – that so many alumni and staff express their support for our efforts, which are centered on the areas of special education, urban education, school leadership, men in teaching, and the social context of schooling. In this issue of Eastern Educator, you'll read about some of them, including Annabelle Sumera, Robert L. Johnston and his late wife Gail, Anne Thorne, and Leah and Tim Adams. Their gifts are having a significant impact on students' lives and their classrooms. We're thankful every day for support of this kind.

On a final note, we're also thankful for the decades of service contributed by colleagues Drs. Charles Achilles and Helen E. Ditzhazy, two illustrious professors who are retiring this semester from the Department of Leadership and Counseling. In their honor, the college has created scholarships in educational leadership in each of their names. I encourage you to consider donating to these funds, as well as our many other scholarship endowments.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Eastern Educator. And please, continue to share with me your ideas on making this college even greater. That's a "courageous conversation" we should all be part of.

Dr. Vernon C. Polite joined EMU in June 2005. He previously was a professor and founding dean of the School of Education at Bowie State University. He earned his A.B. in sociology from Boston University, an M.Ed. degree from Boston State College, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in the area of K-12 educational administration, with a cognate in sociology.

Contact info:

www.emich.edu/coe
734.487.1414
vpolite@emich.edu