Teacher education discussion with national leaders set for Jan. 23
The public is invited to attend a discussion, "Teacher Education and Beyond: State, National, and Global Impacts,” taking place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23 in the Worsham Cinema at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center.
The discussion is hosted by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in celebration of the UK College of Education’s 100th anniversary. It will feature alumni and faculty emerita discussing the impacts of their work both within and beyond the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Featured guests will offer short talks, followed by opportunities for discussion.
“Our 100th anniversary presents the opportunity to connect with many of the individuals who are part of our history and celebrate the ways the college has played an important role in our lives and communities,” said UK College of Education Acting Dean Danelle Stevens-Watkins, Ph.D. “Our centennial year is a chance to advance our vision for how the college will continue to make a difference in the decades to come. As we look ahead, much of the dialogue about our future is reflective of the growing breadth of careers and interests that can be pursued in our college, how these majors impact society today, and how they will evolve in the years to come.”
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.
“Our panelists represent examples of impactful careers that can be had in the field of education, and we are so glad they are able to return to discuss the role the UK College of Education has played in their lives,” said Kristen Perry, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “During the 100 years since the College of Education was established, students, faculty, staff, and alumni from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction have been making an impact on education at state, national, and global levels.”
Panelists include:
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D., who earned three degrees, including a master’s in education, at UK. He is associate vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University. He was the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education from 2020 to 2023 and previously worked as director of the Iowa Department of Education and superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado. In 2011, he earned a doctor of education in educational leadership from Seton Hall University and a certificate in advanced education leadership from Harvard University in 2019. Glass began his education career as a high school social studies teacher from 1996 to 1998 in Hazard, Ky. and, while a graduate student, served as an instructor at UK and Georgetown College.
Felicia Cumings Smith, Ed.D., who earned her doctorate in literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She serves as the executive director of the National Center for Families Learning. She has taken on multiple leadership roles, including positions at the National Geographic Society and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Smith was the associate commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Education and was assistant superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. In 2020, she was appointed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to the Southern Regional Education Board, and later elected to serve as vice chair of this board. At the forefront of centering equity in education through inclusive programming, she was selected to participate in The Equity Lab's prestigious year-long Nexus Fellowship in 2021.
Angene Wilson, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the UK College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, where she was chair of the secondary social studies program from 1975 to 2004 and associate director of UK's then new Office of International Affairs from 1990 to 1996. She was a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Liberia (1962 to 64), a teacher educator in Sierra Leone (1966-68) and Fiji (1970-71), a Fulbright Scholar in Ghana in 1997, and active nationally in global and international education, including serving on the board of the National Peace Corps Association. Her undergraduate and master's degrees were in history and her Ph.D. in humanities education from Ohio State University. She is the author of "The Meaning of International Experience for Schools" and coauthor of "Social Studies and the World: Teaching Global Perspectives," "Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers," and "Voices of African Immigrants in Kentucky: Migration, Identity, and Transnationality."
To learn more about UK College of Education 100th anniversary events taking place during the Spring 2024 semester, visit education.uky.edu/100Years/100thevents.