College of Education Office of the Dean East Carolina University 154 Speight Building ● Greenville, NC 27858-4353 252-328-4260 office ● 252-328-4219 fax www.ecu.edu October 1, 2007 For Immediate Release Page 1 of 1

Gifted Education Conference Had Great Turn Out

Greenville, NC – ECU’s College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction hosted The Gifted Education Conference last Thursday, September 27, 2007. One hundred fifty teachers participated in the day-long conference that featured two nationally recognized keynote speakers, a luncheon, and concurrent breakout sessions. The sessions provided excellent professional development opportunities for kindergarten through high school educators.

The morning speaker was Dr. Elissa Brown, who was recently named the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Gifted Consultant for North Carolina. She was formerly the Director of the Center for Gifted Studies at the College of William and Mary. Dr. Brown spoke on the direction of gifted education in North Carolina.

A national named expert in the area of academically and intellectually gift students, Dr. Sally Reis, was the afternoon keynote speaker. Dr. Reis is a Principal Investigator at the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and a Professor of Education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

The Gifted Education Conference is sponsored by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at East Carolina University. Melissa Matusevich, Katie O’Connor and Elizabeth Fogarty co-directed the event.

“The AIG Conference was quite a special event. Both keynote speakers, Dr. Elissa Brown and Dr. Sally Reis were absolutely fantastic speakers and presenters!” said Dr. Patricia Anderson, Department of Curriculum and Instruction interim chair.

The turn out to this year’s conference was a huge success. Conference registration had to be closed three weeks in advance due to limited space.

Foe more information contact Mrs. Jessica Davenport, Director of Communications, College of Education at 252-328-2179 or [email protected].

East Carolina University is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer