The 2021 June Edition of the Watson Chronicle is online!
We are pleased to share with you the latest edition of the Watson Chronicle. We welcome your comments and feedback, and hope you'll join us in sharing the stories of the work of the Watson College with others. Read more >

Emilee Higdon Named North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year
Emilee Curtis Higdon ’18, a high school English teacher at Union Academy in Macon County Schools, has been named the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) 2021 Prudential NC Beginning Teacher of the Year. The award was presented in a special ceremony on the campus of Western Carolina University on April 15. Read more >

Watson Mini Sessions
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Watson Student Leaders Host Aspiring Educator Summit 
WCE’s Watson Student Leader organization held their second annual Aspiring Educator Summit on Nov. 21. The theme of the event was “Equity in Education.” The full-day virtual conference featured a keynote by Daphne Penn, visiting fellow in education at Harvard University and presentations by 25 educators from 13 states, including six 2020 state-level Teachers of the Year. The WSLs planned the event in partnership with WCE’s SAIL Office. MORE...

WCE Faculty, Ed.D. Students Participate in International Forum in Russia 
WCE faculty members Bill Sterrett and Michele Parker presented with Ed.D. graduates and current doctoral students at an International Scientific Forum in October. Tyumen State University hosted the forum with the support of the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research. Jen Fernandez-Villa coordinated UNCW’s participation in the virtual event. MORE...

Meredith Jones Receives NAECTE Early Career Research Award 
Meredith Jones has received the 2020 Early Career Research Award from the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Jones is an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy and Special Education, and coordinator of WCE’s M.Ed. program in leadership, policy and advocacy in early childhood. The award was announced in November. MORE...

Sabrina Hill-Black Receives WILMA Women to Watch Award in Education 
Sabrina Hill-Black has received the 2020 WILMA Women to Watch Award in Education. Hill-Black is principal of D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy. The award was announced in October. MORE...

Amy Garrett Dikkers Receives AECT Distance Education Book Award 
Amy Garrett Dikkers is co-editor of the book “Social Presence in Online Learning: Multiple Perspectives on Practice and Research.” The book was selected for the 2020 Distance Education Book Award by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s Division of Distance Learning. The award was presented at the AECT International Convention in November. MORE...

Kit Huelskamp, Jordan Weber Named Educators of the Year by NC SHAPE 
Healthful Living and Fitness Education faculty Jordan Weber and Amelia (Kit) Huelskamp have been named Educators of the Year by the N.C. Society for Health and Physical Educators (NC SHAPE). The news was announced by UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services in October. MORE...

Youth Programs Relaunches I-40 E.A.S.T. Project in Support of Rural STEM Education 
In 2018, Youth Programs introduced I-40 E.A.S.T., a STEM Student Enrichment Program (SSEP) funded by the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation. The project serves rural middle and high school students in Duplin and Sampson counties. Career exploration field trips were cancelled last spring due to the pandemic, but the project was relaunched in October as a virtual program. MORE...