WATSON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
The Watson College is pleased to announce results of its 2022 accreditation review by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The college has received accreditation status for all undergraduate and graduate level teacher preparation programs, having met rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs. more...
In December, the Watson College of Education celebrated the achievements of our most recent graduates, including students who earned undergraduate degrees in teacher education, students enrolled in graduate-level programs and 14 who earned doctoral degrees. Please join us in congratulating all of our outstanding 2022 graduates! more...
The Watson College of Education, Cape Fear Community College and New Hanover County Schools are participating in the North Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative. The collaborative, launched in October by the Public School Forum of North Carolina in partnership with the N.C. Office of the Governor and The Belk Foundation, seeks to improve recruitment, retention and diversity in NC’s educator workforce. Eight teacher preparation partnerships from across the state are participating in the inaugural cohort. more...
Louis Bon-Ami has joined the Watson College as a NextGen Post-Doctoral Fellow, a position created through UNCW’s partnership with North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. The NextGen Fellowship Program is designed to create a pipeline for the universities to recruit diverse faculty. During his two-year appointment, Dr. Bon-Ami will provide strategic direction and support for diversity, workforce development and educational leadership initiatives. more...
The Watson College is pleased to announce a new collaboration between UNCW and the Federal University of Ceará in Brazil. The work, led by Dr. Daisy Barreto and Dr. José Aires de Castro Filho, focuses on Integrating STEAM and English in the Brazilian Public School System. more...
Kevin McClure authored two of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s top ten most read articles of 2022. A May 2022 podcast featuring Dr. McClure is also on Inside Higher Ed’s top 10 list of best-read content for 2022. McClure is an associate professor of higher education, WCE’s Wendy and Dell Murphy Distinguished Scholar and co-director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges. more...
Jeremy Hilburn, an associate professor in the Watson College, was named a 2021-22 Global Teachers Education Fellow. The program, offered by the Longview Foundation, provides support for select U.S. teacher educators to design Global Learning Classrooms for their teacher candidates. more...
Jes Fyall Cardenas has been elected to the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Association. NCIMHA promotes and supports infants, toddlers, young children and families through relationship-focused workforce development and advocacy efforts. Dr. Cardenas is an assistant professor of Early Childhood education at the Watson College. more...
Jessica Barnette '15, '18M has received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award for outstanding teaching. Barnette, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education from the Watson College, teaches a combined kindergarten–first grade class at Rocky Point Elementary School in Pender County. The award was presented on December 13. more...
WCE’s focus on promoting diversity in the teaching profession continues to flourish. In October, the “Walk Towards Your Purpose: Becoming a Teacher of Color” initiative brought together a multigenerational group of teachers, faculty, students and prospective students for an informal dinner and networking event. On November 17, the Educators of Color Network hosted their fall meeting. The EOC Network, initiated by WCE’s PDS Office brings educators from across the state together to collaborate on teacher recruitment, retention and advocacy. more...
As a doctoral student, Kayce Smith '12M, '21 Ed.D. sought to answer the question, “How can students’ experiences and perspectives help inform schools to become more equitable and inclusive?” The study began with discussions with New Hanover County high school students and graduates. Continued similar work after the study was completed led to the creation of a new policy that gives students in the county a voice in decisions that affect them. The NHC Board of Education unanimously approved Policy 4004 Student Voice on October 4. more...
Kathy Fox was featured in a story in WILMA Magazine in October. Janna Robertson and Deloris Rhodes have received Lifetime Achievement Awards from NC Project LEAD. Burt Kilpatrick ’91, ’08M was featured in a UNCW Hawk’s Eye View story. The Watson College is pleased to share these stories and other faculty, staff and alumni news. more...
The Watson College is pleased to sponsor a screening of “Game On UNCW: Esports + Education,” a documentary chronicling the growth of Esports at UNCW. The film, directed by Bradley Pearce and produced by UNCW’s media production team in partnership with Ray Pastore and members of UNCW’s Esports Club, will be shown January 30 at 6 pm in UNCW’s Lumina Theater. The event is free and open to the public. more...
Reconnect with your former professors and classmates at the 2023 Homecoming champagne brunch in February! The event will feature great food and a showcase from all UNCW academic areas. more...
The Watson College is pleased to announce the fourth annual UNCW/3C Challenging the Paradigm Conference. The theme of the event is “Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions to Overcome Barriers to Student Success.” Proposals for presentations are currently being accepted. Registration is open. more...
UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services is conducting a survey to determine K-12 educators’ knowledge of the early warning signs of Type-1 Diabetes, a diagnosis that often occurs during the K-12 years. Survey responses are anonymous and will be accepted through mid-March. We hope you will consider participating in this important research! more...
Congratulations to Bryson Chapmon ’22, recipient of the Grace M. Burton Promise of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching Award; Emily Buggy ’22, recipient of WCE’s Exemplary Intern Award (undergraduate program); and Bryce Cota ’22M, recipient of WCE’s Exemplary Intern Award (MAT graduate program). The awards were presented at WCE’s 2022 teacher intern celebration seminars in December. more...
Ten graduate students enrolled in Higher Education programs at the Watson College completed internships at Maynooth University in the Republic of Ireland in October. The two-week program, coordinated by Andy Ryder and Symphony Oxendine, was designed to give students a global perspective of higher education and hands-on experience in a variety of campus offices including the Career Center, Chaplaincy, International Office and Student Affairs. more...
Thirty students enrolled in secondary education programs at the Watson College participated in an 1898 Memory Walk in downtown Wilmington in October. The tour was part of an interdisciplinary project designed to prepare future teachers to work together across disciplines, use community resources and include an equity focus. This year’s project focused on the historical significance of the 1898 Wilmington Coup and its lasting impact. more...
In September, the Onslow Extension Lab introduced an Engagement Series for students in the Jacksonville area and beyond. The pilot program, led by Traci Bellas, features monthly workshops and professional development offerings designed to strengthen connections between WCE faculty and extension students. more...
Four graduate students enrolled in WCE’s MAT in Art Education program, Kristen Breyfogle '22M, Alexis Michelle '22M and Christine Liao presented at the NC Art Education Association’s Fall 2022 conference. Renee Otero, a retired art teacher and WCE intern supervisor received the NCAEA’s Emeritus Art Educator of the Year award. The conference was held in Wilmington in October. more...
The Watson College is pleased to share a recent UNCW “Like No Other” story featuring WCE senior Camille Bayer. Camille, an elementary education major and student ambassador president, talks about her experiences at Watson, the Honors College and studying abroad. The story was shared on the UNCW home page in October. more...
More than 50 teachers participated in a professional learning day at the Watson College on October 21. WCE’s PDS Office hosts the event each semester for partnership teachers, university supervisors and school site coordinators. The theme of this year’s event was “Renew. Reconnect. Reimagine.” more...
Through the UNCW/3C Collaborative, UNCW partners with community colleges to offer programs, conferences and professional development events for current and future education leaders. This fall, Aspiring Leaders’ Summits were held at Cape Fear Community College and Carteret Community College. more...
On November 4, the Watson College was pleased to welcome 25 beginning teachers for the first of three annual BT Conference Days. The theme of the event was “Beginning Brave.” Leah Carper, North Carolina’s 2022 Teacher of the Year was keynote speaker. Abbey Nobles '14, NC’s SE Regional Teacher of the Year, was also a featured speaker. more...
Amy Coderre, WCE PDS Site Coordinator and first grade teacher at Blair Elementary School, was recognized as the fall 2022 Roy E. Harkin Award recipient. PDS Director Somer Lewis presented the award at a dinner to celebrate fall 2022 interns and honor WCE’s partnership teachers. The event was held December 8 at the Watson College. more...
On October 28, the Watson College was pleased to welcome 125 students to the Fall 2022 Future Teacher Conference. Future Teacher events, held each semester, give high school and community college students an opportunity to visit campus and learn more about education programs at Watson. more...
Author Barbara Wright visited D.C. Virgo on November 3 to lead interactive book discussions with fourth, fifth and sixth grade students about history, writing and the power of fiction. The sixth graders received signed copies of Crow, a work of historical fiction that explores the Wilmington, NC, events of 1898. The author visit was part of NEA Big Read: Cape Fear, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest led locally by UNCW’s Office of the Arts and Randall Library. more...
Fleet Feet Wilmington has generously donated running shoes to the entire D.C. Virgo cross-country team! In October, owner Michelle Fogel and her team welcomed coach Webster Guthrie and Virgo’s RIOT (Running Is Our Therapy) team to the new Fleet Feet store at the Crossroads at Independence, where each student was fitted with brand new pair of Brooks Ghost runners. more...
Join MarineQuest this summer for a commuter or residential program at UNCW. MQ offers weeklong half-day programs for students starting at age 4, full-day programs for students ages 7 and up, and residential programs for students ages 9-17. Each program follows a unique curriculum and is sure to excite the inner scientist in your child! more...
A celebration for fall graduates was held at the Watson College on December 16. Watson College faculty and staff joined WCE’s fall 2022 graduates and their families at the reception, held in the atrium of the Education Building. more...
WCE held a celebration on December 14 to honor 2022 Ed.D. graduates Monisha Atkinson, Anthony Barton, Tim Bronstetter, Byron Burnette, Robert George, Kerstin Hudgins, Danielle Johnson, Darcy Kmack, Kamara Roach, Jessica Sabater, Alisha Strickland, Mary Warehime, Sameon West and Blake Wiggs. Chancellor Volety joined Dean Van Dempsey, WCE faculty and graduates at the event. more...
WCE faculty and staff paid tribute to Kimberly Stokes at the college-wide meeting on November 16. Ms. Kim has been a special education teacher for 30 years, and coordinator of NHCS’ Transition Program for Young Adults at the Watson College site for the past 25 years. She recently accepted a new position at Laney High School. more...
