The Roundtable
Volume 42/Number 3
February 2009
ESU’s Mehring wins prestigious Pomeroy Award from AACTE
Dr. Tes Mehring admits to being a little overwhelmed by the news that the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) has selected her for the 2009 Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education.
“I’m in shock and awe,” Mehring said. “Reflecting on the caliber of people who’ve received this award in the past, it’s truly an honor to be part of this group.”
Mehring, Emporia State University’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and student life, received the award Feb. 6, during the AACTE’s 61st annual meeting in Chicago.
The Pomeroy Award recognizes outstanding contributions to teacher education, either through distinguished service to the teacher education community or through the development and promotion of outstanding practices in teacher education at the collegiate, state, or national level. It is given in honor of former AACTE executive director Edward C. Pomeroy.
An accomplished educator and renowned leader of teacher educators and preparation programs, Mehring previously served as dean of The Teachers College at Emporia State, one of the most highly regarded teacher preparation programs in the country. She was named to her current position in May, 2008, the latest achievement in her 27-year career with ESU.
“Tes has continually supported a vision of professional excellence and standards in teaching, and it’s only fitting that the AACTE recognizes her outstanding contributions to the profession,” noted Dr. Michael R. Lane, ESU president.
During her tenure as dean, ESU’s Teachers College was named one of four model teacher programs in the nation in Arthur Levine’s report “Educating School Teachers.” The Teachers college was also identified in Edutopia magazine as one of ten schools of education that are blazing the trail to better teaching practices.
In addition to exemplary leadership at ESU, Mehring has played an active part in state, national and international education. She has helped foster the growth of Professional Development Schools (PDS), an innovative program that prepares new teachers for success in the classroom. The first PDS collaboration with Olathe Unified School District 233 was recognized by another organization, the Association for Teacher Educators, as the 2008 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education.
Mehring has received numerous personal and professional recognitions during her career. Her individual awards include ESU's Leadership in Diversity; Kansas Educator of the Year;, Distinguished Professional of the Year from the Council for Learning Disabilities; and the Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor Award, ESU's highest honor for faculty.
“Dr. Mehring's dedication to the profession has no limits,” said Kay Schallenkamp, chair of AACTE's Board of Directors and former president of ESU. “She has been at the forefront of change in teacher preparation and is a remarkable servant to students, faculty and colleagues across the nation,” Schallenkamp continued.
Andy Tompkins, former Kansas commissioner of education and current dean of the School of Education at Pittsburg State University, said, “Dr. Mehring’s record of success cannot be fully measured only by her list of accomplishments. Her integrity and credibility within her profession coupled with her passion for education and continuous improvement have made her one of the most valued professional colleagues in Kansas.”
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, AND WHERE
AWARDS
Dr. Suzanne Deweese, Jones Institute for Educational Excellence, received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction last May from KSU.
Thomas Winski, assistant professor, Department of English, was inducted into the Illinois Journalism Teachers Hall of Fame this past fall.
PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Jeonghyun “Annie” Kim, assistant professor, School of Library and Information Management, presented “Building rapport between LIS and museum studies” at 2009 ALISE Annual Conference in Denver on January 22, 2009.
Dr. Salim Sehlaoui, Modern Languages and Literatures, & Dr. Nancy Albrecht, School Leadership/Middle & Secondary Teacher Education, presented “Online Professional Development for TESOL Teachers in Rural and Suburban Kansas: An Innovative Model” at the Fifth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society 2009, in Huntsville, Alabama, Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 . Dr. Sehlaoui and Dr. Albrecht described the various components of this innovative online TESOL teacher professional development model that has drawn national attention from scholars in the field. This paper is an attempt to examine the effectiveness of the above-mentioned model using research-based evaluative criteria based on previous and current research conducted in the area of the effectiveness of Online Teacher Professional Development. The paper describes 1) the various components of this innovative online TESOL Teacher Professional Development model and 2) feedback assessment data collected directly and unanimously from inservice teachers participating in the model over the period of five years.
PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Jeonghyun “Annie” Kim, assistant professor, School of Library and Information Management, published an article entitled “Perceived difficulty as a determinant of Web search performance,” at Information Research, 13(4), paper 379. Available at http://informationr.net/ir/13-4/paper379.html.
Dr. William L. Smith, management professor and chair, Business Administration and Education Department, and Dr. Kenneth Schallenkamp, associate professor, Black Hills State University:”Networking and Entrepreneurship Ventures,” International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2009, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 230-239.
A second book of poetry by Dr. Kevin Rabas, assistant professor, Department of English, “Lisa's Flying Electric Piano”, has been accepted for publication by Woodley Press (Washburn University). The book is slated for publication in March or April 2009.
EMPLOYMENT SEARCH
An AA/EOE institution, Emporia State University encourages minorities and women to apply. The following positions are available and may be viewed on the ESU website at: www.emporia.edu/esu/searches.htm.
Last Updated July 2, 2007