WATSON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Watson College Dean Van Dempsey shares a personal message with the WCE community during the challenging and uncertain times we currently live in. “Every day, our most important sources of excellence, resilience, inspiration and success are found in our students, staff, faculty and many community partners,” he says. “We are, as a “we,” greater than the challenges ahead.” more...
In May, 238 students earned degrees from the Watson College of Education, including 132 enrolled in graduate-level programs. Twelve earned doctoral degrees. This year, UNCW celebrated the Class of 2020 virtually with a “Seahawk Salute,” videos, a Kudoboard and a Hawk-themed photo mosaic. more...
Lesly Vasquez '20 M.Ed., Tyler Young '18, '20 M.Ed. and Kama Cannon '08, '11M, '20 Ed.D. were featured in a special collection of We Are the Class of 2020 profiles in May. Vasquez and Young earned master’s degrees in higher education and Cannon earned a doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration in curriculum and instruction. more...
Van Dempsey, dean of UNCW’s Watson College of Education, has been appointed to serve on Governor Cooper’s Task Force to Develop a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education. The DRIVE Task Force is focused on improving equity and inclusion in education, with a particular focus on diversity in the education profession in North Carolina. more...
Beginning in fall 2020, two new certificate programs in eSports, an expanding industry with global reach, will be available to UNCW’s undergraduate and graduate UNCW students. The programs, offered by the Watson College of Education, are the first of their kind in North Carolina and among the first in the nation. UNCW announced the news in a home page story on May 28. more...
The Watson College will introduce a Master of Science in Evaluation and Organizational Learning and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Evaluation in fall 2020. The programs provide professionals in a wide range of fields with the skills to evaluate programs, products, systems, and policies for organizational learning and change. The Graduate School is currently accepting fall applications. more...
Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli, Provost Marilyn Sheerer and leaders across campus joined Youth Programs Director Sue Kezios, MarineQuest Founder Diane Talley and current and former members of the MarineQuest team at a 40th anniversary celebration of UNCW’s successful MarineQuest program on February 13. Since its creation, MarineQuest has provided marine and environmental science enrichment programs for more than 200,000 children and teens. more...
Symphony Oxendine, assistant professor in WCE’s Department of Educational Leadership, has been named an Emerging Scholar Designee by ACPA - College Student Educators International, a leading international professional association for the study and practice of student affairs and higher education. more...
WCE’s PDS Office partnered with faculty and educators in the region to host a series of virtual conferences impacting over 350 teachers, instructional coaches and school leaders following school closures in March. PDS also created a learning toolbox for teachers and introduced a series of Coffee Connections help foster collaboration and connection. more...
D.C. Virgo is currently accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year. Learn more about UNCW’s K-8 school in a new video! During February, Virgo celebrated Black History Month with dozens of guest readers. In March, the school transitioned to online learning with support from New Hanover County Schools, UNCW MIT students, WCE’s PDS Office, Kramden Institute and Live Oak Bank. more...
Thirty-five faculty and staff members from across campus participated in a Grants Collaborative Workshop on May 14. WCE Associate Dean Bill Sterrett coordinated the event in partnership with the UNCW Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance. more...
Elizabeth Felts '11M was named New Hanover County Schools’ 2020-21 Overall Educator of the Year on May 27. Felts is an English and service learning teacher at New Hanover High School. Other 2020-21 honorees are Trevor Todd ’16, Elementary Educator of the Year, Nuhn Johnson, Middle School Educator of the Year and Rachel Manning '93, '99M Principal of the Year. In February, Sydney Peterson ’16M was named NHCS 2020 “Rookie of the Year.” more...
Michele Parker is the 2020 Watson College recipient of the Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award. Lisa Buchanan, Daisyane Barreto, Dennis Kubasko, Angie Reid-Griffin and Wilson Okello were recognized for their publications at UNCW’s Annual Research Reception. Wilson Okello and Jordan Weber ‘18 Ed.D were featured in We Are UNCW. The Watson College is pleased to share these stories and other news. more...
UNCW will host the first annual UNCW 3C Conference June 11-12 as an online summit. UNCW 3C Collaborative is a university-community college partnership initiative created to develop future leaders for North Carolina’s community colleges. The theme of the event is “Challenging the Paradigm: Collaborative Conference on Best Practices and Future Trends.” Registration is open. more...
Commencement is scheduled for August 7-8, 2020, and, based on the information available at this point, this is not expected to change. The UNCW Transition Programs team and academic leadership are working hard to bring additional details soon. For more information, please visit the Commencement website. more...
WCE professor Robert Smith and the Educational Innovation Network NC are working with EdNC to host three "Culture of Innovation" webinars over the summer. The series is hosted by Ben Owens under the tagline “Pinch Points to Possibility." The forums will provide educators with images of possibility from across North Carolina that can be adapted and scaled in more schools, for more students. Look for details on the WCE website soon! more...
Two editorials by WCE’s Kevin McClure about university leadership, communication and building trust during a crisis were published in EdSurge in April and May. McClure also served as a panelist for Michigan State University’s webinar “Managing Higher Education in Uncertain Times,” and was interviewed for several recent articles related to higher education and COVID-19. more...
Kenneth Teitelbaum, former dean of UNCW’s Watson College of Education and professor of educational leadership (2011-2016), is author of the book Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities. The book was published by Routledge (an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group) in May. more...
WCE professor Kathy Fox partnered with the UNCW Alumni Association to produce a webinar titled “Nurturing Home to School Learning.” The pre-recorded video was shared with a live chat on the UNCW Alumni Association FB platform on May 15. more...
EducationNC ran a week-long series of perspectives on innovative practices in North Carolina public schools in March. WCE professor Robert Smith and doctoral student Kayce Smith wrote an article and edited the series. Amy Horgan, Laura Jennings and Jodi Hebert of D.C. Virgo were also contributing authors. more...
Eleven 2020 graduates of WCE’s master’s program in higher education presented their culminating projects in a virtual symposium on May 7. A hooding ceremony was also held via Zoom. more...
Bailey Lines ‘20 has been nominated for the NCACTE 2020 Student Teacher of the Year award. Lines completed an internship at Anderson Elementary School in spring 2020 and earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the Watson College in May. more...
WCE graduate student Toniqua Young worked collaboratively with WCE professors Angie Reid-Griffin and Michele Parker this spring on a project designed to enhance mentoring training for Junior Seahawk Academy and STEM volunteers. Young is enrolled in WCE’s M.Ed. in Leadership, Policy and Advocacy in Early Childhood program. more...
On Feb. 28, the Watson College welcomed 80 teachers to the second Beginning Teacher Professional Development Day of the year. Mariah Morris, North Carolina Teacher of the Year, was keynote speaker at the event. Tabari Wallace, former NC Principal of the Year was a featured speaker at a third BT Professional Development Day, held virtually on May 8. more...
UNCW held a professional development event in partnership with Craven, Lenoir and Nash Community Colleges this spring. The Aspiring Leaders’ Summit, the first offered through the new UNCW-Community College Collaborative (UNCW 3C), covered topics including budgeting, conflict resolution and the staff to administrative transition. A second summit is planned for the fall. more...
UNCW MarineQuest staff presented their Turtle Trash Collectors digital badging program at the Scientific Research and Education Network (SciREN) Coast annual event on February 27. More than 100 educators attended the event, held at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. more...
UNCW’s Youth Programs teams were busy this spring creating educational programs and activities for kids and families to do at home. This summer, MarineQuest and Engineering Expectations will offer new 2020 summer camps. Join them to enjoy online learning and hands-on fun! Registration is open. more...
Students in Kathy Fox’s Children’s Literature class hosted a series of events the week of March 2 to celebrate Read Across America, a week-long national observance of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Students from D.C. Virgo, WCE’s Ed Lab and the WRAAP afterschool program at Sunset Elementary School participated in the events, held at the Watson College. more...
For seven weeks in January and February, UNCW’s K-12 Engineering Coordinator Jasmine Gaston visited D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy to teach middle school students about circuits and coding through an engineering outreach program she designed. The program was featured in a “Seahawk Stories” video, first shown on WWAY on February 27. more...
Fourth-grade students at D.C. Virgo marked Digital Learning Day with a trip to the Digital Makerspace located in Randall Library on campus. Melissa Raymer and Alyssa Wharton coordinated the experience in partnership with Meagan Denny and Mike Webb at Virgo. more...
MarineQuest’s Harris Muhlstein and Morgan Walker brought an environmental outreach program to patients at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill on February 20. During the visit, arranged in partnership with Wonder Connection, children explored components of the salt marsh and measured the salinity and density of water. more...
Jenn Hatch Knight and her husband Matthew have established an award in memory their daughter Nora Claire. The award, created to bring light to the pain of infant loss, will enable a D.C. Virgo student to attend a MarineQuest camp each year. Gifts can be made online to the Youth Programs Trust, in memory of Nora. more...
The Watson College celebrated Watson Wednesdays this spring via Zoom! Krysti Adams introduced the weekly themed events as a way to help faculty and staff stay connected while campus is closed. more...
