This past year, I have enjoyed my second term as president of the College of Education Alumni Association. During my tenure, I was fortunate to work with a number of committed Spartans who gave countless hours as advocates of our college. They are your Board of Directors and some of them have been recognized statewide for their accomplishments. For example, last year, Margaret Holtschlag was selected as Michigan’s Teacher of the Year, and this year, Mary Stephen became Michigan’s Middle School Principal of the Year. In addition, we were fortunate to have another one of our alumni, James Ray, become Michigan’s Superintendent of the Year! Dr. Ray is the former superintendent of Flint Community Schools. Congratulations to all of you. You made us proud!

Are there others? We are always looking for quality men and women to represent the College of Education and its alumni. You, too, can make the difference in the lives of undergraduate and graduate students by becoming a mentor to a current student, sharing an expertise or talent in a particular field, or representing the needs of individuals in your line of work. You can enjoy the benefits of homecoming with lots of good food, music, and conversation. Your membership fees assist with providing scholarships for freshmen, undergraduate, and graduate students; and with recognizing outstanding teachers, administrators, and alumni. They also help with defraying the costs of this alumni magazine and a conference that highlights the use of technology in teaching and learning. Our fifth-year teacher interns look forward to practicing their interviewing skills with us. The benefits of alumni membership are numerous and, most importantly, they can provide you with an opportunity to reconnect to your college and its current students.

You can also learn from the faculty and administration, too. The College of Education’s faculty is “second to none.” They continue to create an academic curricula that produces a successful, and nationally known, alumni population that leads public and private schools, colleges and universities, and communities throughout the world. With the leadership and support from Dean Carole Ames, the alumni association and faculty are most fortunate to have the commitment of an exemplary leader in providing a focused vision and high expectations for the college to achieve. As alumni, we should be proud of the quality of education and training that was given to us as an undergraduate or graduate student. It has been recognized as being “the best” among educational programs in the United States.

In closing, I want to extend my thanks to the alumni Board of Directors for its dedicated service to the College of Education and its alumni; and for the opportunity to serve as president of such a worthwhile organization. Dr. Robert Spencer, superintendent of the Lakeview School District, was elected to lead us in the coming year. He truly bleeds “green and white,” has a wonderful sense of humor, and is a gifted leader. Please welcome him as president and wish him well in his new role.

As for you, we need you to help us continue with our success. Consider remaining as an active member in, or joining, our alumni association. There are numerous ways you can “give back” to our college. We look forward to meeting you. Please introduce yourself and let us know how we can be of assistance to you, or better yet, how you can be of help to us.

Go g-r-e-e-n and have a great summer!

  Janet M. Burns

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